Unclouded by Hate
by tiger002
Summary: Most go through life only seeing the pieces of the grand puzzle, but this is the story of one who was called to see more. For a young guardian of truth, there is much to learn, and also much danger on the horizon.
1. 1: Every Story Starts with a Beginning

Chapter 1: Every story starts with a beginning

Sydney walked out of his seventh period ceramics class to go to his bus and escape the school. He absolutely hated ceramics. He had no artistic talent in a room filled with those who could make beautiful pottery with out even trying, while he struggled to make a simple fish. At least he only had a few more weeks of that class then he would have his art credit and could graduate next year

As he walked down the hallway, his eyes locked with another junior down the hall. Rage filled his body as the other person walked toward him. He clenched his fist, ready for another fight. Sydney felt the bruises from their last battle. It's a wonder they hadn't been expelled after all their fights, but the battle was normally over before the school authorities could get there.

When he was in range, Sydney threw the first punch, but his foe leaned back to dodge it. He then rammed his shoulder into Sydney's chest, and slammed him into the lockers. "I hate you Noah," he said, as he tasted blood in his mouth.

"Same to you whelp," Noah said as he elbowed Sydney into the side sending him to the ground. He rolled out of the way to dodge a fist aimed for his head. With a left hook, Sydney struck his foe in the eye. Noah grimaced in pain before retaliating with a powerful upper cut of his own that landed in his chin.

The attack sent Sydney back and the back of his head slammed against the brick wall. His brown eyes began blinking rapidly and he felt blood coming from the back of his head. The room began wobbling back and forth and objects became nothing more than blurs. Soon everything began spinning and his legs fell out from under him. Sights and sounds faded as he drifted into unconsciousness.

_

"A reckless fool."

"Who said that?" Sydney said looking around trying to find the source of the voice. Instead, he saw nothing. All around him was bright white that seemed to go out in all directions. "Where am I?"

"Neither question has a definite answer," the voice said again.

"Are you God? Am I dead?"

The voice chuckled. "No and no, at least you aren't dead yet."

"You're starting to freak me out Mr. Voice," Sydney said.

"I guess I should start explaining," he said, as an elderly man walked out of the blinding light.

"Yes, please."

"The place we are in is what some call the middle ground. From here, all the different dimensions can meet."

"How do I get back then?"

"You will return to your body once you leave the coma. However, you have much to learn before I can let you leave.

"Who are you and what do I have to learn?" Sydney said impatiently

"You must leave your human perspective behind you to see things as they really are. You must learn to see with eyes unclouded by hate. Only then, can you truly understand and carry out your role."

"My role, I'm just a high school student."

"The fact that you are here shows me otherwise. People just go through life only seeing small pieces of the world. They see only what they want to believe, but you Sydney, you have much more potential."

"I don't understand."

"That is understandable, but in time you will."

* * *

A/N: This story is different then most of mine in that it is mostly original fiction but there are some fanfiction elements here. The reason I put it in this category is that it doesn't really fit any where else. Please review


	2. 2: Every Answer Starts with a Question

Chapter 2: Every answer starts with a question

"Are you ready to begin your training?"

"What training, what is going on here?" Sydney asked. He was tired of the cryptic answers. He wanted something he could understand.

"Do you enjoy your life?" the elderly man said.

"Yea, I guess 's with you changing the subject though?"

"So you are saying that you are completely content with your life? You like everything about it, everything is perfect?"

"Of course not, no life is perfect."

"So you're saying it could be better?"

"Yea." The teen thought about the event that brought him here. If Noah was dead, then that would make his life better. Even though Sydney complained from time to time, he had a good life. His parents loved him, and he had a few good friends. What more could he ask for. "I'm happy with my life though. Even when things don't go right, I'll still take it."

"That's a flaw of humans these days. They spend their lives complaining, but then when they have a shot at greatness, they merely brush it off," the elder said as he shook his head. "I know you might be scared, but trust me. You won't regret what you will become."

Sydney never wanted a normal life, he wanted to do something great, but he was just another ordinary student. He liked English and hated math class, but he never was good enough to stand above the nerds. There were times he thought about joining a sports team, but he knew he wouldn't stand a chance. Maybe this could fill his desire for an exciting life. "Can you at least tell me what I'm getting into."

"It's hard for your kind to fully understand." The elder paused, trying to think of the right words. "You can call us Guardians of Truth."

"What does that mean?"

"Sydney, why do you hate Noah?" the elder asked, once again changing the subject.

"What kind of question is that? He tries beating me up every day, he's a jerk to everyone. Why shouldn't I hate him?"

"Have you ever asked why he is like that?"

At this, Sydney was speechless. True, he never thought about that, but why should he care about Noah, after everything he had been though. Noah was the jerk, plain and simple. It would just be better if he never existed.

"You see Noah in only one dimension. You hate him, forcing you to see him only by the bad things he does, which in turn caused you to hate him more. Is he truly the one you hate though?"

"Of course he is!"

"The haste of your response suggests otherwise."

"Um, uh…"

"Your hatred drives you, even when you don't want to admit it."

"What do mean." Sydney was tired of this. "Noah is the only one I hate!"

"Really? Come, follow me." The elder began walking into the vast expanse of whiteness.

"Where?"

"You shall soon see young Sydney."

The teen wasn't sure of what he should do. In a matter of minuets, this stranger had forced him to think in ways he had never thought possible. His questions of where he was now seemed to fade in light of the questions he now had to ask himself. Those weren't questions he could simply rehearse the answers to. Did he even know the answer to those questions? More importantly, did he want to know?

"If you don't hurry, you might never get lost in this infinite expanse and never get out."

The chuckle in the elder's voice lightened the mood in the… what ever this place was called. Sydney wasn't sure if it was because it was a joke or not, but decided it would be best not to take chances so he ran to catch up to the old man.

* * *

A/n:Thanks to those who have read and reviewed. This is one of my most unique projects, and one I hope to continue. Sorry for the short chapters, but they will probably get longer soon.


	3. 3: Every Discovery Starts with a Search

**Chapter 3: Every Discovery Starts with a Search**

"Where are we going?" Sydney asked as he tried to keep up with the elder's swift pace. As they walked through the expanse, it didn't seem like they were even moving once Sydney finally caught up. It seemed impossible how anyone could get used to being in a space like this.

"You said you wanted something great, didn't you?" The old man's voice echoed throughout the expanse.

"Yea, but, why won't you answer my questions?"

"Fine," the elder said as he finally stopped. "You're training for your role as a guardian of truth will entail two things. First, you must learn how to harness the sleeping powers with in you. More importantly though, is to learn to see things clearly so you know when to use your powers."

Sydney wondered what powers he was talking about. He wasn't anything special, right? However, where he was standing suggested otherwise. If there was something special about him, he wanted to learn what it was. "Master, how do I learn these things?"

"Before you can see the truth of the worlds, you must learn to know the truth about yourself."

This wasn't going to be a journey like anything he could imagine, but in his heart, Sydney knew it would be worthwhile. "Show me then."

Sydney was standing in a room that seemed so familiar to him. The purple carpet below him brought out so many old memories. He looked to the bed where he had slept for so many years, and saw a young child in it. It wasn't possible. The boy had is face in the pillow despite the fact the sun was shining into the room.

Sydney bent down and saw a small pool of liquid on the pillow. "What's wrong?" he asked and tried placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. To his surprise though, his hand went through, as if he was a ghost.

"These are merely shadows of the past Sydney," the elder's omnipresent voice filled the room, "You are here to watch and learn, nothing more."

"Sydney, are you okay?" a feminine voice said as the doorknob slowly turned.

"Mom…" the teen said.

"Go away," the younger Sydney said, trying to bury himself further in the covers.

"You know I can't do that, she said gently sitting on the bed and stroking the young boy's hair.

"Why can't I go with Seth and Jessica?"

"This is their special trip with Dad. Your big sister is going to the state wide band competition and your brother is going to be in the football finals."

Sydney thought back to these moments he was seeing played out right in front of him. He remembered how devastated he was when his older siblings got to go off to Indianapolis with his dad while he had to stay at home with his mom. He got over it when they came back though.

"They've worked hard to earn this trip. Maybe in two years when you start high school you can do something like that too."

"Okay mom, I promise I'll find something and be the best at it."

"I'm counting on it."

"But it didn't matter what I did," Sydney said looking down toward the floor, fists clenched and tears flowing down his face. "I could never live up to the great legacy of my brother, the sports star who got all the girls or my sister, the valedictorian and greatest trumpet player the school has ever known."

"And that has destroyed you from the inside out," the elder said as he mysteriously appeared in the room.

"What do you mean? Sure I can be jealous sometime, but I hardly ever think about it."

"It's so buried into your heart that you don't have to think about it for it to affect everything that you do."

Sydney tried to process what the elder was saying, but it didn't make any sense to him. How could there be something so deep in him that he didn't know about it? If anyone but this mysterious old man told it to him, it would have been quickly dismissed, but the elder seemed to know him better than he knew himself.

"Come, there is something else you need to see," the elder said as the room he was in faded into the bright white area from before.

"What?" Sydney asked, fearful of what else the elder would have in store for him.

Suddenly, the silent expanse was replaced with the sound of many voices. Where nothing but an infinite expanse of white was, now there were many teens talking amongst themselves, who were eating the supposed food the school served them.

"Do you recognize this place?"

"Yea, this is the school cafeteria. Which reminds me, shouldn't I be getting hungry?"

"When the spirit is separated from the body, you no longer need the things of your human life."

"So, does that mean you are a sprit too?"

"No," the elder said shaking his head, "I, along with the rest of the guardians, are all psychical beings similar to you. When you went into the coma, we were able to separate your spirit from the body. It is much easier for a new guardian to undergo the training in spirit form that his true form."

"I'm confused," Sydney said, completely lost at the talk of the body, spirit and soul.

"That part is unimportant now," the elder said walking to the side of the room, "However, what you are about to see is the moment that changed your life."

Sydney looked ahead and saw two people he was very familiar with. One had short brown hair and blue eyes, the same as the one he saw in the mirror everyday, and the other one was an Asian with longer black hair and black eyes.

"Get off of me," Noah said as he shoved one of the other people into a wall. "Never touch me again or else!"

"You can't hurt them like that," the younger Sydney said, running at Noah. His fist nearly connected with the Asian's face, but he ducked to dodge it. Noah slammed his elbow into his stomach before slamming his fist against Sydney's face, knocking him to the ground.

"Try that again and it won't be my fault if you die," Noah said as he walked away.

"Say that to my face," Sydney said as he slowly got up.

"You're not worth my time."

"Now do you see?" the elder asked, as Sydney watched the familiar events unfold in front of him.

"Yea, Noah doesn't care about anyone and needs to have the snot kicked out of him."

"You see only part of the story. What if you had arrived even one minuet earlier," the elder said and once again, the scene faded away, only to be replaced by the same people, except the younger Sydney wasn't there.

"So how'd you do on that test?" Josh said ripping a paper out of Noah's hand.

"Just give it back Josh," Noah said reaching for it, but it was pulled out of reach.

"What, only a 98, what happened to your Asian super power of knowing everything."

"Shut up."

"Don't worry," the other one said putting his hand on Noah's shoulder, "I'm sure you won't miss any next time."

"Let go of me."

"Or what, you're going to go cry to mommy?"

"Get off of me!" Noah yelled as he shoved the person into the nearest wall. The younger Sydney had just appeared, seeing what Noah did, but nothing more. "Never touch me again or else!"

The older Sydney stood their as the images froze. He couldn't believe it; that was the first time he had met Noah. Instantly he had hated him, but had all that been based on nothing? He thought about all the other things Noah had done, but maybe they weren't as bad as he thought. "It can't be," Sydney thought aloud.

"Come, there is more about Noah you must see," the elder said as the scene once again changed.

_

**And… cliffhanger!**

**I'm really trying to make the characters deep here, showing Sydney's and Noah's pasts. Unlike most of my stories, I'm focusing more on the characters than the plot, but this is going somewhere, I promise. I'm presently surprised at the amount of support this is getting, so I hope to update somewhat frequently.**


	4. 4: Every Effect Starts with a Cause

**Chapter 4: Every Effect Has A Cause**

"This is so weird," Sydney thought aloud as the old scenery faded. He never would have thought that a single image would change his life so much, but seeing Noah like that shattered what he thought to be true.

"It's not surprising that your mind would resist all of this new information," the elder said as he placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "Your experiences taught you to believe one thing, which you accepted without question. It is a mistake many make, but a mistake none the less, and one you must learn to overcome."

"So what else must I learn about Noah?" the teen asked. He was ready to learn, even though he was afraid of what he would see.

"To understand the present, you must first understand the past," the elder said as the unclear images around the area reformed into what appeared to be just an ordinary house.

"Where is this?"

"This is the house of the one who hate," the elder explained calmly.

"Noah…" Sydney was sure he was brought here for one reason, to learn the truth about him. There was something in the teen's mind that wanted to resist. Just running away would be so much easier. A part of him would rather live on, being in his comfort zone of not knowing, than have to face the truth. However, the logical part of his mind saw that simply ignoring the truth wouldn't make it any less real.

"Get it right!" a voice yelled from another room. Sydney looked to the elder, who simply nodded in response.

The pair ran into the room to see a young boy on the ground that was holding a wooden sword, and an older man towering over him, with a similar weapon. "We are going to keep doing this until you get it right."

"F-father, please, my arms hurt."

"Y'know, if you weren't so pathetic, maybe we could finish earlier, then you wouldn't be whining so much. You think I enjoy wasting my time teaching a whelp like you?"

"I'm sorry, but please, can't this be enough for tonight?"

"I guess if it will shut you up, ending a little early won't hurt, but you better be ready tomorrow. Understand Noah?" he said harshly.

"Yes, thank you," the nine year old boy said as he quickly walked away.

"You see," the elder explained, "People's actions aren't just random events. Every effect has a cause."

"How could he be so cruel?"

"This isn't even the worse that Noah has experienced."

Sydney ran off to find Noah, wishing he could do something to help. It didn't matter that these were just images of the past; he had to do something. This was just so wrong.

The teen walked through the door to Noah's room and saw the young boy on his bed. Tears were flowing down his face as he curled up with his legs against his chest. He was tightly gripping a brown stuffed animal. Sydney could hardly make out the words, but he could tell Noah was talking to the toy. The teen walked over to the bed, and tried putting his hand on the boy's should, but to no avail. He was close enough to see each single tear cascading down his face and dripping onto the sheets below him.

"A simple change of perspective can change everything," the elder said as he stood in the doorway.

"Has it ever stopped?" Sydney asked softly, feeling a surpassingly amount of sympathy for the one he would have previously wished this upon. If anyone would have told him that he'd be crying out of love for Noah, he would have quickly dismissed it, but now, he couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his face.

A look of sadness came across the elder's face as he struggled to come up with the right words. The teen looked quizzically at the old man since this is the first time he'd seen his teacher show any emotion.

"Someone as young as you shouldn't have to see the terrible things Noah has experienced," the elder said solemnly.

"I never knew," Sydney said as he fell to his knees. "How could I be so blind?" The teen let his head rest in his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Noah, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"As my old teacher once said, not knowing is not a crime, remaining complacent in your ignorance and feeling no shame is," the elder stated as the scene once again faded into the infinite white expanse again.

"Then I want to learn," Sydney said as he rose to his feet.

"Good, in that case it is time you begin the second part of your training."

"I'm ready," the teen said with determination. He was tired of just seeing all his mistakes, and being unable to do anything to correct them. Now perhaps, he could have the chance to make up for all the things he had messed up. There had to be something he could do.

**A/N: Anyone pick up on what I did there? I'm going to start incorporating more fantasy elements next chapter, but that doesn't mean I'm done with Noah. **


	5. 5: Every Shadow Starts with a Light

Chapter 5: Every Shadow Starts with a Light

"What now?" Sydney asked, as they once again found themselves in the vast expanse. The teen would have thought he'd get used to this strange place by now, but the endlessness of it continued to baffle his mind.

"As I've told you before, the two parts of your training involve teaching you how and when to use your powers."

"So, looking at my past was the when, and this is the how?"

"Precisely," the elder said as the expanse around them began shifting.

"All right, where are we going now?" Sydney had been here long enough to know the elder had to have something planned.

"Always the impertinent one," the elder said through a chuckle, "Fine, time to see you're first training ground."

The whiteness was filled with various colors that soon formed into concrete shapes. The teen recognized the pace as something he had seen in many movies. The circular room was empty save for the martial art decorations. It looked just like one of those Japanese dojos. "I feel like I'm in one of those old movies my uncle liked to watch. Y'know like Karate Kid."

"Oh, this will be much better," the elder said, actually cracking a smile for once. The two stood on one side of the room as a several targets floated down, resembling dart boards. "Once you begin your training, obstacles like this won't stand a chance." The elder held a hand up, and a sphere of light began forming in the palm of it hand. "This is a simple light burst attack." He held his hand up and the orb of light burst forth, breaking into three parts and completely eradicating the targets.

Sydney's jaw dropped at that demonstration of power. "T-that was a simple attack."

"Yes. Through your training you will learn many different forms of combat, from simple martial arts, to swordsmanship, and even magic. At the core though, the power of light is what fuels all your other powers."

"How do I use it then?" Sydney asked curiously, thrilled that he too could wield that kind of power.

"You must bring forth the power from within your soul. It is this power that sets you apart, that makes you a Guardian."

Sydney tried looking deep within for that power, but he couldn't find anything that seemed unnatural for him to draw upon. It should have been just a simple command, but he had no idea what it meant to call upon his powers. "How do I do this?" he asked weakly.

"Allow me to help you," the elder said grabbing Sydney's hand. "I can use my light to bring your's out."

Sydney waited for something to happen, but at first it seemed like they were just standing there. Soon though, it felt like a bug was crawling beneath the teen's skin. He looked up at the elder who easily read the expression on his face.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt," he reassured the nervous teen. After a few seconds the strange feeling subsided, but chills erupted throughout Sydney's body. "Get ready," the elder instructed.

The light burst forth, sending an incredible feeling through every inch of Sydney's body. His heart beat rapidly, as a surge of energy consumed him. He felt like he could handle anything that was thrown at him. It was like the essence of joy itself coursed through his blood, infusing him with power he did not know existed.

"So, what do you think?" the elder asked.

"Cool," Sydney said as he began laughing slightly, exhilarated at the feeling.

"Now, do you want to see how to use this?"

"Heck yea."

"I thought you might say that. First, hold out your palm and try willing the light into it," the elder instructed as a target came down, and floated in the middle of the room.

Sydney did as he was told and soon his hand began glowing. "This is so awesome!" he exclaimed.

"Now, let the energy go and fire it at the target."

The young guardian did, and a small sphere of light burst forward, colliding into the edge of the target, leaving a small singe mark on it. "Good," the elder said nodding his head.

"Yea, but that was nothing like you did," Sydney said, exhausted after unleashing so much of his power.

"That's to be expected. I have practiced for many years."

"It will be a while until I become as strong as you then," Sydney said with a sigh.

"Don't let it dishearten you. Even someone who has just begun to access their powers still has incredible strength. Including the power to return home."

"Really?" the teen's eyes lit up at the thought. He had been so consumed with everything that he learned, that he almost forgot about his family.

"Yea, you've been in the coma for nearly a week."

"How could that be?" Sydney protested, "It couldn't have been more than a few hours."

"The fact that your soul has been separated from the body can distort many things, including the flow of time."

"Man, my family must be freaking out."

"Let's hurry back then," the elder said as he formed a portal in the air. It looked like a small whirlwind with small sparks of light around it. "This will reunite your soul and body. I will come visit you in a few days to inform you of the next step of your training."

"Alright, thanks for everything you've shown me," Sydney said as he began walking toward the portal. He wasn't sure what his life would hold once he returned, but he knew he had been taught these things for a reason. He couldn't just act like he never knew any of this. There was so little he truly knew, but now he had a chance to learn from his mistakes.

As he was about to walk through the portal, a bright light flashed beside him, causing him to turn around. Another person stood their, that appeared younger than Sydney, likely no older than 13. "Elder Kensei, we have a situation in area 14," the stranger said.

"What's going on?" Sydney asked walking up to the stranger and the elder.

"I take it you're the new guardian," the stranger said walking up to greet him.

"Yea, I'm Sydney," he said holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nick," he said gently shaking the teen's hand.

"What happened Nick?" the elder asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but we noticed a crack in the boundary between the dimensions."

The elder pondered this for a moment, while Sydney just tried to keep up with the conversation. "You said sector 16?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, region 26 to be exact."

"I'll investigate immediately," the elder declared.

"Can I come too?" Sydney asked. He had noticed the elder seemed worried about this news and was curious as to what would be uncovered. If there was some thing strange going on, returning home could wait a little bit.

The elder sighed as he tried coming up with an answer. "Nick, do you believe there will be any danger?"

"Nah, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. The crack isn't anything serious so I doubt anyone but a guardian can detect, much less travel through it."

"Very well," Elder Kensei declared.

Sydney joined the elder as they traveled through the portal, leading them to an area that seemed nearly identical to the white expanse they had been in so many times. This time though, in the distance he saw what appeared to be large buildings.

"Where are we?" Sydney asked.

"This is the area that connects sector 16 to the middle ground, which connects it to the other dimensions."

"So what are we doing here?" Sydney asked impatiently as the elder stood there examining the seemingly ordinary situation.

"Something unusual happened here," the elder declared, "Can you not sense the disruption?"

Sydney thought for a moment, and noticed the elder had a point. Everything looked how he thought it should, but there was something that seemed off. "Yea something seems-"

"Shh." the elder said interrupting Sydney's thoughts.

"What?" the teen whispered.

"We aren't alone here," the elder said softly.

"What do we do now?" Sydney asked. He wondered if there was more danger than Nick had indicated.

"We leave for now." The two guardians left through the portal, returning to training ground.


	6. Chapter 6: Waking Up

**A/N: I really want to thank all the reviewers for this. I've been amazed at all the support you've given me. Keep it up, and reviews don't have to be just compliments. If you see a problem, tell me. Sorry for such a short chapter, but I should update the next one tomorrow.**

**Also, this is the start of me going on a major updating spree, so enjoy!**

Chap 6: Waking up

Sydney slowly opened his eyes. He glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to remember how he got here and how he got his roaring headache. There were plain white walls all around him, with a door that appeared to lead to some hallway. He was in a bed, covered with plain white sheets, and a white pillow. It seemed the designer had a fascination with plain white.

The teen tried sitting up, but as he did, the pounding sensation against his head forced him back down to the pillow. "I really need some aspirin," he mumbled to himself before closing his eyes and trying to go. He felt something strange on his head as he lay back down. After finding that they were soft and cloth like, he decided they must be bandages. Looking to his arm, he saw several needles attacked to a liquid device. "I think I might have gone overboard with that last fight. Man; that was some strange dream I had."

The dream had seemed so real to him, like he was actually there. It reminded him of the matrix, where the world kept changing to how the teacher wanted. Maybe it was his subconscious trying to tell him something, or that he had just lost it. Even so, he wouldn't have expected a dream to make him think so much.

He didn't know how long he had been out for, but it felt like he hadn't eaten for several days. He looked around the bed, for the call nurse button thing. Just leaning up a little bit hurt, but he was able to grab the remote thing, and pressed several buttons causing the bed to move, and then hit the cross that he thought should signal a nurse. Before anyone could come though, he fell back to sleep.

_

"Mrs. Abend, you son has finally woken up."

"Really, how long ago? Is he okay?"

"Calm down ma'am, he hasn't fully recovered, and it's best for him to rest for now."

"Still, you said he was awake."

"Yes, and we'll make an exception to visiting hours if you still want to see him."

"I'll be right there."

_

"Sydney?"

The gentle voice rocked him out of his gentle sleep. He opened his eyes and once he saw the red hair of her mother, he began crying tears of joy. "Mom," he said it little more than a whisper.

She dropped her purse to the ground before rushing over to hug him. "You're awake, you're awake."

"Yea," he said weakly, putting his arms around her.

"Sydney, I was so afraid we were going to lose you. I couldn't stand the thought of my son living as a vegetable all his life."

"It's alright, I'm getting better." A week ago, he never thought that fighting Noah could lead to so much. At worst, he thought he might lose, and be in pain for a few days. Other than his pride, there wouldn't be any permanent damage. The way the nurses talked though, his life was in serious danger. The invincibility he thought he had was shattered by one well aimed punch. "I'm sorry Mom," he said softly.

"For what?"

"If I hadn't been so stupid, I wouldn't have got into the fight, and none of this would have happened."

Sydney's mom sighed at her son's comment. "It's okay."

He knew that it was all his fault. His hatred had caused him to rush into something that wouldn't help anything. Especially if his dream had shown him the truth about Noah, he had been just as guilty as anyone. He was even worse than the monster he thought Noah was. "I guess."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I tried knocking over a brick wall with my head," Sydney responded.

"Are you able to walk yet?"

"I'm not sure; I haven't tried." The teen tried sitting up again, glad the pain meds had done their job. This time he was able to sit all the way up, and swing his legs over the side of the bed. His mom bent down beside him, and helped to lift him up. While his legs felt numb, he knew walking shouldn't be too hard.

He willed his left leg to move forward, but only a few inches. Then he commanded his right leg to catch up to it, lifting it slightly off the ground. Each of the next several steps became easier, and soon he had walked to the door. To his surprise though, he didn't feel tired at all, in fact, he was more rejuvenated than ever.

"I feel good enough to go home now," Sydney declared.

"I think they might have given you too much medicine."

"Maybe," Sydney said through a laugh, "I think some sleep might be good though." He walked back to his bed and got himself under the covers, now exhausted.

"I'll come back in the morning then," his mom said before kissing him on the forehead. "Sleep good." She turned out the lights and walked out of the room, just happy her son would be all right.

As Sydney laid there in the darkness, a slight glimmer kept him from getting to sleep. He opened the eyes and saw a light coming from under the covers, and upon looking under them, he noticed his legs emitted a faint white glow.

"Was it real?"

_


	7. Chapter 7: Moments in Time

"_Here's my chance for a new beginning  
I saved the best for a better ending  
And in the end I'll make it up to you, you'll see  
You'll get the very best of me_

_Today I'm gonna love my enemies  
Reach out to somebody who needs me  
Make a change, make the world a better place  
'Cause tomorrow could be one day too late  
One day too late  
One day too late"_

One Day Too Late, Skillet

Chapter 7: Moments in Time

It had been nearly week since Sydney had been released from the hospital. Adding another week stuck at home made him want to return to the normalcy of school even more. While most people his age begged for the weekend to be longer, he was just glad to be let out of the house and out of his mom's paranoia that everything could hurt him. Most of all though, he looked forward to seeing his friends again.

On his drive to school, he once again gathered the light into his hand, letting it fuel his body. It carried with it a sense of joy, of power. When the light filled him, it felt like there was nothing he couldn't do. Even so, the power it took for Sydney to draw upon that force left him exhausted once it left.

He entered the parking lot, and saw his two friends, Greg and Cole near the flag pole arguing about something frivolous. Sydney just shook his head at their idiocy, but he wouldn't have his best friends any other way.

"Dude, I actually got her number," Cole bragged holding a small piece of paper.

"There's no way Jackie would agree to go out with you," Greg said giving his friend a look.

"Well, maybe she thought that would make him leave her alone," Sydney said rushing up to the pair.

"All I know is that I'm going to get a date Friday night while you two are going to just be bored playing Halo without me."

Greg then snatched the paper from his friend's hand. After unfolding it, all he could do was laugh. "Here, take a look at her number Sydney."

He did, and saw written on it, nothing more then the number, '17' "I think you might be missing some.

"Not again," Cole sighed.

"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us," Greg said patting his friend's shoulder.

"It's happened to you too?"

"No, I just know to leave the ladies alone once they threaten to take out a restraining order on me."

The bell rang, throwing various teens into a state of hysteria as they ran into school to avoid being late. It didn't matter how much time they had, Sydney couldn't remember the last time he and his friends weren't in a hurry.

_

The day came and went with Sydney in awe of how much homework he had in store for him. Although, it wasn't as bad as it could be. All he had to do was about 186 algebra problems, read 230 pages in the riveting novel, _Brave New World_, study the internal organs of the average bird, write a report on the Monroe Doctrine, and lastly remember that "Los pingüinos están en el wáter" meant "the penguins were in the toilet." It would only take all his free time for the next week or six.

Aside from getting bombarded with homework, there was still one thing bugging him. He didn't see Noah at school that day. True, he probably got the same 5 day suspension for fighting as he did, but that would mean he'd be back by now. He wasn't sure what he'd say, but he just wanted to talk to him.

On his way home, Sydney decided to pay his old enemy a visit. Noah's house wasn't that far away, and he remembered where it was from when he and his friends tped it two summers ago. After seeing the images Kensei showed him, he had to at least do something. He couldn't just pretend like he didn't know. No longer could he use ignorance as an excuse.

He pulled up to the house, and nervously walked up to the door. His heart was racing, each beat telling him to turn and run while he had a chance. Noah hated him after all, so he wouldn't just want someone like that showing up asking to be friends. That had to be one of the most idiotic ideas he had ever had. After all the things Sydney had done, what gave him the right to even show up here?

The young Guardian of Truth shook those thoughts away. He had been given this knowledge for a reason and if he just pretended like nothing happened, then he would be far worse than Noah or anyone else who made his life hell. Standing at the door, he knocked against the wood three times. Now there was no turning back.

After a brief moment of waiting, Sydney began walking away, almost relieved that he wouldn't have to face his past. However, just as he was about to get back in his car, a loud bang shook the air. The rational part of his mind told him to just keep going, and that it was probably a bird colliding into the house or something. Another part of him told the teen to investigate.

Sydney ran back to the door and began pounding on it, pausing every few seconds for any noise from the other side. There was none. There was nothing the teen could do, unless he broke in.

The Guardian stood back and let the power of light course through his body. He harnessed it in his hand and slammed his palm into the door knob, shattering it and flinging the door open. If he was just crazy and no one was in there, then he could get away before he could be arrested for breaking and entering.

Sydney ran through the house, searching for any signs of life. Bursting into the kitchen, he saw nothing but a half full glass of milk on the table. That meant someone was either a complete slob, or here recently. Both the living room and bedroom on the ground floor were empty. It then occurred to him where he might find Noah.

After finding the stairs to the basement, he flew down them, taking the steps three at a time before arriving at the bottom. Just like in the vision with Kensei, the room was a wide open dojo. Various weapons lined the walls, from wooden swords to ancient katanas. Sydney ignored all these various objects since his eyes soon locked on to the person lying in the middle of the floor.

It didn't make any sense why Noah would just lie there, but seeing a pool of red gradually spread out form his head made Sydney's entire body begin shaking.

He couldn't bring himself to accept these horrible images as reality. He ran through his mind anything all the possibilities but after seeing the gun beside him, he knew what had happened.

Sydney ran over to his enemy, and rolled him onto his back, hoping to be able to do something to save him. The teen nearly puked at what he could only describe as brain flesh spewed along the ground. He could tell Noah wasn't breathing and after placing his hand against Noah's blood coated neck, he knew saw there was no pulse.

He fell to his knees and began crying. It was too late. If he had come earlier, perhaps he could have saved Noah. It didn't make any sense how someone could just end their life like that and just throw everything away. As he glanced around the room, trying to avoid the sight of the blood stained corpse, a small stuffed animal caught his attention.

"It can't be," Sydney said to himself, recognizing the small bear as the same one in his vision of Noah's past. Slowly walking to it, he saw it was holding down a small piece of paper. He picked it up, and was shocked at the words."

'_If you're reading this, I guess that means that you've found my body. Heh, I wonder how long it took. Hours, days maybe? I wonder who found it too. Probably good old Dad. Hey, guess what dad? I never cared about that nightwing crap. Yea, I'm done with that. Good luck finding a new apprentice._

_Maybe someone else found this note, the police maybe. Figures, now off all times they'd actually do their job and show up when I needed them. Guess what though, I'm dead, you guys failed yet again._

_So, you probably want to know why I'd do something like this? Well, why not? What do I have to live for anyway? Listening about Dad going on about those Nightwings and how I could be one of those creatures? No thanks. What about school, I was always a straight A student, I should have a good future. Funny, that's what I thought too. Until that Sydney got me expelled for defending myself. It wasn't my fault he couldn't take a couple punches when he started the fight to begin with. I hoped to go off to some great college far away, but who would want someone like me. _

_I wonder where I go from here. Heaven maybe, after what I've been through here, some paradise might be nice. Hell maybe, sure why not, it can't be any worse than this._

_I guess that's it. C ya world, it hasn't been nice knowing you._

_

**A/N: You didn't see that one coming did you… Honestly, Noah was one of my favorite ocs, and I hated killing him like this, but that just shows how desperate some people are. I don't advocate suicide at all, as my mom says, "it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem."**


	8. Chapter 8: Paradigm Shift

**A/N: This chapter is a bit different, showing another view on the events so far. Since it's been a while since I updated, you may have forgotten that Cole and Greg were Sydney's friends at the beginning of the last chapter.**

**Chapter 8: Paradigm Shift**

His name was Noah, and I hated him.

Yeah, I know that seems like a great way to start a school paper, but it was true. I'm sure by now, you want to hear the story, or probably not, you just want to get this graded and over with. Well, since I have to tell you about a paradigm shift, here goes.

The beginning would seem like the best place to start, if only I remembered it, but I can't think back that far. The situation always seemed to be the same. Sydney, Cole and I were always friends and Noah was our enemy. It might seem a bit of a rush to judge someone so fast, but from our mind, it was true. It wasn't like we just woke up one day and decided that we hated him, it was a given, like how it's a given Cole asks out about 3 different people a week and gets rejected by all of them. It's just a way of life. It had been that way for years.

Three weeks ago, everything changed. That was when Sydney and Noah got into their big brawl. Cole and I had just gotten out of our English class, and went to meet Sydney, just like we always did. When we got near his pottery class, Noah had just knocked Sydney into the wall, and our friend fell to the ground. We were outraged and ran at Noah, ready to beat him up for that. Well, our plan didn't work too well. It happened to quickly to give any details, but in the end, Cole had a bloody nose, and I did something to my arm.

Well, the good news was the school board decided that was the last straw for Noah and expelled him. He was always starting fights, and beating us up just because he could. I remember back in November, he started a fight with me. I nearly had him, but of course, they had to break us up. Anyway, that doesn't really matter now; the important thing is that Noah was expelled. Sydney was also suspended for 10 days, and me and Cole for two each.

That wasn't too bad though; time off school is always fun. That Monday me and Cole went over to Sydney's house to meet up with him for a fun day of…well we'd figure that out once we all met up. We found out from his mom though that he was in the hospital after that fight.

That really hit us hard, y'know? Like before, we never thought anything really bad could happen, but when we went to visit the doctors said they weren't even sure if he would wake up again. If he woke up again, things would never be the same.

It just didn't make sense why Noah had to do this to him. Noah always was the arrogant jerk. He had everything a person could ever want, but in his perfect life, he always seemed to find time to pick on us. For so long, my mind couldn't figure out why he would be that way. No matter how many perfect scores he got on tests, or how great colleges he was accepted to, he never seemed happy.

It was really weird not having Noah or Sydney at school. Things were really peaceful for once. That Saturday night Sydney gave us a call, telling us he had been released from the hospital. We were relieved, but we still couldn't hang out since he could hardly stand up. It would be all right though; we'd be back together like always soon enough. Another boring week came and went, and he returned the next Monday.

Things should have returned for normal for us. After all, Cole got an early start getting rejected, getting two no's and one fake phone number before school even started. You'd think he'd learn, but no…

Still, things seemed off. Sydney seemed to not really pay attention, and zoned out when I tried talking to him. I could see how school would depress people, but it couldn't be that bad.

The next day he seemed even worse, hardly even acknowledging anyone existed. He just stared off into space during class, and was in a daze when he walked through the school. After math, I had to know what was bugging him so I stopped him out in the hallway. After I threatened to beat him up, he finally told me what happened. I'll never forget that conversation.

"What's going on Sydney?" I said as I pushed him against the wall.

"Sorry Greg, I guess you haven't heard about Noah?"

I just shook my head.

"Noah killed himself. He wrote a letter saying that he was tired of everybody picking on him, and he figured that it was the only way to stop us from hurting him anymore."

I couldn't believe it. Noah, the one I hated, was dead. How much was he hurting? One word stood out more than anything else, 'us'

Had I been a part of him wanting to die? Could I have done something to stop him? Was I the one to push in to that point? Does that make me… a murderer?

His name was Noah, and I hated him, and I killed him…


	9. 9: The Return of the Creepy Old Dude

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but here is the next chapter. Special thanks to WaldoJeffers for betaing this for me.**

**Chapter 9: The Return of the Creepy Old Dude**

Sydney focused his mind on the people in front of him. They had hidden behind the mounds of snow, but a defense like that wouldn't last for long if he had anything to do with it. "Attack pattern Alpha?" Greg asked.

"Yeah," Sydney nodded. A gentle wind blew through the snow-covered fields sending down a chill down Sydney's spine. It seemed like no matter how big of a coat or gloves he wore, the subzero temperatures still got to him. If there was one thing he hated about Ohio weather, it was the cold winters. Then again, cold meant snow and snow meant school being cancelled, which led to fun like sledding and snowball fights.

"Go!" Cole said and the three charged forward, Sydney and Greg led the attack, firing snowballs at any opponent they saw. Cole ran behind them, on the lookout for any surprise attacks that would have hit his friends.

"You're going down, Jackie!" Sydney declared as he ran at one of his other friends.

"Bring it on then," Jackie said with a smile before tossing several snowballs in Sydney's direction.

The brown haired teen jumped to the ground to dodge the attack before forming several more snowballs and chucking them at her. Even though she tried dodging them, Jackie couldn't help but be pelted in face, chest and stomach with enough force to send her onto his back. "How'd you do that, Sydney?" Cole asked, shocked that someone could be hit that hard from just snow.

"I'm not really sure," he said shrugging his shoulders. Truthfully, he knew it had something to do with his new powers, but didn't know exactly what. Ever since the incident five months earlier, Sydney had felt his power deep inside of him. He still had trouble bringing it out, but he found he could use it to give him inhuman strength along with the spheres of light he could fire.

He would have thought something like that would have changed his life, but everything had continued mostly the same as ever. While Noah's death had shattered everything the three friends thought they knew, after so much time it seemed like nothing more than a faint memory. There were times where images of Noah's dead body would force themselves in Sydney's mind, but he'd just try to forget the horrible sight. He knew that dwelling on the past couldn't change it, so he tried to continue his life as normal as he could.

"Back to my house for Halo?" Sydney asked.

"Sorry, I have to head back home. My family will be pissed if I'm late," Jackie said.

"I'm up for it though," Greg said.

"Me too," Cole added.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the three friends were in the basement of Sydney's house. The Xbox was running and they were focused on dodging the various rockets and bullets being fired at their characters. They were so engrossed in their game that when the doorbell rang they didn't even hear it. However, their visitor wouldn't go away so the stranger proceeded to knock several times, startling the teens out of their video game induced trance.

"Not it!" Greg quickly said which Sydney followed.

"Why do I have to get it; this is your house," Cole protested.

"This is also my Xbox that you're playing so hurry and find out who it is," Sydney said.

Grudgingly, Cole got up from the couch and went up the stairs to the front door. He expected to see Jackie or one of their other friends looking for Sydney, but he was completely surprised to see an elderly man with white hair and a long white beard standing there. "Can I help you?" Cole asked.

"Is Sydney here?" the old man calmly asked.

"Sydney, an old creepy dude is here to see you," the teen shouted.

"What did you call me?"

"Well sorry, but judging by your beard I'm pretty sure you're a dude, from your white hair, you seem a bit old and randomly showing up at a teen's house asking for him is a bit creepy to me."

"I guess you have a point there," the old man admitted with a slight chuckle.

"Who is it?" Sydney asked as he came up from the basement. When his eyes locked with Kensei's, the teen froze in place. It had been so long since they last saw each other, he wondered if they would ever meet again. "Kensei," Sydney said softly.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" the elder replied.

"Wait, you know each other?" Cole asked but he was ignored by them.

So many thoughts filled the young guardian's mind. He had more questions than he thought possible about what he was, his powers, and why he was chosen. Even with all the chaos in his mind, one question pushed itself to the surface. "You knew about Noah, didn't you?" he asked as he slowly walked to the door. "You knew he was going to kill himself."

"I did."

"I know you were powerful enough to stop him too, right?"

"Yes," Kensei replied with a nod.

"Then why did you sit back and did nothing!" Sydney screamed pointing his finger at Kensei.

Cole began backing away, shocked to see this anger from his friend. However, Kensei was unfazed. "It was not my place to interfere."

"I just don't get you," Sydney said shaking his head. "What was the point of showing me all that if I couldn't save him anyway?"

"It was to teach you."

"Then that was the most twisted lesson I have ever seen! What kind of monster would turn a person's suffering as nothing more than a simple lesson? I really hate people like you. Those who have power to make a difference but all they do is sit back and watch as others suffer. Was Noah not good enough to deserve saving?" By this point Sydney knew he was rambling, but he didn't care. "Maybe that lesson did teach me something; that I should actually care about those in pain, that's something you obviously need to learn."

"If you are done, we need to be going," Kensei responded calmly.

"Yeah, one more thing then." He couldn't believe the person who showed him to care about his enemy could be so cold. Anger filled every facet of his being. He wasn't sure what it could do, but he didn't care; all he knew was that a heartless fiend like that had to pay.

Sydney ran at Kensei, his hand balled into a fist, and ready to strike down his teacher. However, just as he was about the strike the elder's face, Kensei latched onto the teen's wrist. "Too slow," he whispered before tossing the teen across the room and into the couch.

Sydney wouldn't let that stop him though. He got back to his feet and felt the power of light fill his body. With this power, he knew he was stronger and faster. He felt like nothing could hurt him. Clenching his fist again, he had never felt better.

Once again the teen got up and charged at his teacher. He unleashed a fury of kicks strengthened by the power of light coursing through his body. However, Kensei effortlessly deflected each attack. After several more punches, Sydney was getting frustrated with his inability to break through Kensei's defense. He jumped back to come up with a better plan of attack, but before he could do that, the elder struck his chest with a kick sending him flying into the wall.

"It is foolish to challenge an opponent whose strength you do not know."

Cole stood back with absolutely no idea what was going on. He knew he had to help his friend, but he was too confused to do anything. "Greg get up here, Sydney is getting his butt kicked by an old creepy dude!"

Kensei shot the teen a glare for calling him that again, but soon focused his glance to Sydney who got up once again, the fire in his eyes even stronger.

Sydney wasn't aware of it, but a faint white light had begun to imamate from his body. However, he was aware of the new strength flowing through his veins. "I won't be beat that easily," he declared holding his palm outward. He fired several spheres of light at Kensei, showering the room with sparks of pure light. Greg had just run up from basement and he and Cole had to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded by the attack as they stood in awe of their friend's powers.

"You are quick to speak, slow to listen, and quick to be angry," Kensei said, unfazed by the attack, "You invite disaster."

"Shut up!" The teen responded firing a massive lance of light at his foe, but once again, Kensei stood unfazed. The elder held his own palm out to catch the blast and effortlessly reflected it back at Sydney, only this time the blast was even larger.

Sydney stood in awe of the coming attack and with no time to avoid it, he was thrown into the wall, this time even harder. The impact was so great it knocked several pictures to the floor and rendered him unconscious.

Greg and Cole stared at each other trying to figure out what they should do. They had just seen their best friend obtain bizarre new powers and get his butt kicked by a creepy old dude. Even though they were terrified, they knew Sydney was in danger, so they had to do something.

Cole charged at Kensei, his fist aimed for the elder's face. However, he wasn't expecting this old man to be so fast, so Cole had his wrist grabbed out of mid air. He didn't even see the fist connecting with his stomach.

Greg saw the foolishness of rushing in to try to fight this person head on, but he had to do something. A metal folding chair caught his eye at the end of the living room, so he grabbed it and ran at the stranger. As he swung it down, he was shocked when the elder blocked the attack with his fist. After knocking the chair away, Kensei karate-chopped Greg's neck, sending the third of the friends to the ground.

"Reckless fools," Kensei said as he grabbed Sydney's body from the wall and sat him beside his two friends. A faint green light appeared in the elder's hands as he channeled the light through his body. "Healing wind" A gentle wind blew through the house and the three teens woke up, feeling the pain in their bodies leave.

"What was that?" Sydney asked as he got to his feet.

"Using the light for energy blasts is the most basic of all the guardian's techniques. Many of us have also learned to harness the power of the light for healing purposes."

"Sydney, old creepy dude, what the heck is going on here!" Cole not so calmly asked.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Sydney asked, just as confused at the situation as his friends.

"It's time for you to join us, this time in body and in spirit."

"Um, no offense, but I'd rather just stay here and play video games," the teen protested.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Kensei asked rhetorically, "You people are always complaining that life is never what you want, but when something comes and changes it, you cling to your stale boring lives. You wish to learn more about Noah, don't you?"

"Maybe you should go with him," Cole said even though he didn't really know what was going on. "I mean, those powers you have must mean something."

Sydney looked to his other friend to see what he thought. "As long as you come back, I'm all for it. I honestly have no idea what's going on, but it looks like this will be the adventure of the lifetime."

"Will I be able to see my friends and family again?" Sydney asked.

"Of course, we have no intension of tearing such a great friendship. I was honestly shocked that they were willing to try fighting me even though they didn't stand a chance."

"In that case, I'm in."

Sydney and Kensei disappeared in a flash of brilliant light that nearly blinded the two teens. They stood there in silence for a few moments until a feminine voice broke them out of their thoughts.

"Guys, why is the front door open?"

"You want to explain to Mrs. Abend why her son has mysteriously disappeared?" Greg whispered to his friend.

**A/N: Kensei has returned to continue Sydney's training, but where will this lead. Not to give anything away, but there will be a lot of action in the next chapter. Stay tuned and thanks for not killing me for taking forever to update. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Birth of the White Paladin

**Chapter 10: Birth of the White Paladin**

"Where are we going?" Sydney asked as he and the elder once again emerged in the white void. No matter how many times the teen found himself in this mysterious realm, he couldn't get used to the infinite expanse.

"To begin the next stage of your training," Kensei explained, "The powers Guardians posses is far beyond anything you can imagine. You've been able to channel the light through your body; however you must learn how to fully utilize it."

"And how do I do that?" Sydney asked eagerly. Even the small dose of power he had managed to wield before was incredible, so he could only wonder what this full power would be like.

"You must allow your body and soul to fully embrace its power. Once your soul integrates the power of light into it, you will be a true guardian."

"That still doesn't make sense to me," the teen said while shaking his head. He wished that for once the elder would give him a straight answer instead of just speaking in riddles.

"Words can only explain so much, it would be easier for you to just experience it for yourself."

At this, Sydney's eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across his face. "Okay, let's go then!"

"I'll take it from here," another voice called out. The two of them turned to see Nick walking into the expanse.

"In that case, I'll leave this stage of his training to you. I have other matters I must attend to."

"We won't let you down," Nick said with a salute while Kensei vanished.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this place," Sydney said looking at the ground, or floor, or whatever it was he was standing on.

"Maybe in a few years you will," Nick said with a shrug, "So you ready to leave?"

"I guess, but where are we going?"

"Apparently he didn't tell you about our mission. Well, some of our enemies in sector 6 have begun mobilizing against us. It's nothing too powerful, but our job is to quell the army before they grow strong enough to threaten us."

"So it's going to be just the two of us?" Sydney asked. It didn't make sense how they could defeat an army by themselves.

"Well, not just two," Nick said as he whistled. In the distance, Sydney could hear the sound of something running at them. He wasn't sure quite what is was, it sounded kind of like Greg's dog when she was excited, but the sound was too loud. Finally, the creature ran up to them and Sydney couldn't believe his eyes.

"Is that a dragon?"

The dragon walked up to Nick and rested its head on the guardian's chest so it could have its ears scratched. Its blue body was like nothing that Sydney had seen before. The dragon stood about four feet tall, making it slightly shorter than the Guardians and it was about six feet long.

"Yep, this is my pet. His name is Dinofly; I've had him ever since becoming a Guardian. Hop on," Nick said as he climbed onto the dragon's back.

Sydney was a little bit hesitant, but riding on a dragon sounded like fun. He uneasily climbed on the dragon's back, not wanting to do anything to anger the creature. "Don't worry, he won't bite," Nick said trying to reassure his friend, "Well unless I tell him to, then he'd eat you like a tasty steak."

That didn't calm his fears much, and as the dragon took to the sky, Sydney held on for dear life while Nick was ecstatic at flying through the air like this. "What, you don't like this?"

"Not really" Sydney said gripping the other boy's chest even tighter.

"You might not like this then. Dino, time for a loop."

"No loop. No loop!" Sydney protested, but the animal simply ignored the frightened passenger. Instead, he soared through the air and flew upside down like the roller coasters Sydney hated. "If this flying menace makes me throw up on you, I'm not sorry."

Nick only laughed at his friend's fear of the skies. "Fine, we'll get to business" The dragon then shot through the sky down at the ground. A golden portal emerged before them and they flew though it with the passengers trying not to fall off.

Once they emerged through the portal, they were in a completely different land. It looked like an underground cavern illuminated only by lava flowing along the ground and walls.

"Where are we?" Sydney asked, worried at the strange feeling emanating from this place. He could feel a powerful presence nearby.

"This place has many names," Nick said calmly, "It's most often refused to as hell though."

"You mean the place where bad people go when they die?"

"Yes, however there are many more evil spirits here than human souls. The demons here frequently tried to rise against the other realms, and it is the Guardian's job to keep them in place. Luckily, they rarely amass enough power to be much of a threat to us."

Nick got off Dinofly and Sydney awkwardly followed. Terrifying growls could be heard in the distance, which filled Sydney with dread. However, Nick was unfazed as they continued to march forward. "Don't be afraid, Sydney," he reassured, "These guys don't stand a chance."

Once they climbed over the hill, they saw the demonic army before them. The terrifying creatures made Sydney want to run and hide. Many of them looked like hideous beasts. Darkness covering their armor like skin made it impossible to see what they truly looked like. Some of them had blood red claws, which looked like they were made to carve apart flesh. Sydney was terrified, but he knew he had to do this. Nick was right, they would win; they just had to.

"Let's do this," Nick said as a metal staff materialized in his hand. Soon a myriad of colors surrounded his body which quickly solidified into rainbow armor. "Use your light attacks on them. I'll bail you out if things get too tough," Nick said charging into battle. He slammed his staff into the ground shouting up a rock spear, which impaled one of the demons. He then spun around shooting flames out from his staff knocking several of the other enemies away. Dinofly flew into battle alongside the guardian bombarding the demons from the sky with blasts of fire and wind.

Sydney ignored the fear threatening to turn his legs into jelly and ran into battle. Gathering the light in his right hand, he blasted one of the demons, which shrieked in pain as it faded into nothingness. Two others came upon Sydney, but with the light now filling his body, he was no longer afraid. He dodged the claw of the one before blasting the fiend away with a lance of light. Then he turned to the demon behind him and kicked its claw away before punching it into the ground with a light infused fist.

"Impressive young one," a raspy voice said. Sydney turned behind him to see one of the demons mounted upon a black hoarse. "However, the power of those creatures is nothing like that of the Hell Knight." This demon had a blade that radiated fire and ran at Sydney.

The young guardian fired several lances of light at the new monster but they were deflected by the fiend's sword. The knight slashed down at Sydney who jumped to the ground narrowly dodging the blade. Sydney tried firing several more beams of light at his foe, but they were easily brushed aside.

Sydney was exhausted at fighting this seemingly unbeatable foe. The darkness emanating from the knight seemed to drain him of his power. He fell to his knees, and while he willed his body to stand again, he couldn't bring himself to do it. As the knight charged at him again, Sydney looked on in shock as Nick blasted the demon away with a gust of wind.

"Thanks, I thought I was done for," Sydney said as Nick helped him back to his feet.

"Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you," Nick said as the remaining demons continued to surrounded them. "Don't be afraid; the demons are nothing compared to our power."

"Right," Sydney said as he allowed the light to flow through his body again. Power seemed to be emanating from Nick, which reenergized him, and drove away fear as the monsters charged at them. Sydney felt his body growing faster and stronger. Effortlessly, he swiftly punched one demons away right before turning to deliver a powerful kick to another beast. In his fury of attacks, none of the demons could even get close. The light surrounded him, bathing him in a powerful aura. Sydney wrapped his mind around the light and pulled it closer to him, feeling the incredible power it offered him. Soon the blinding light faded and was replaced by white armor covering his body from his head to his feet.

"What is this?" Sydney asked.

"You've manifested the power of light," Nick explained calmly.

"Cool," Sydney said through a slight laugh as the Hell Knight ran at the new Guardian. Sydney instinctively drew the sword from the sheath on his back before leaping into the air and landing on the knight. He swiftly sent the demon to the ground with a swipe of the blade.

The guardian jumped back and waited for his foe to make the next move. The strength of the light flowing through his body had to be ten times greater than before. Sydney truly felt invincible with this new power. The Hell Knight ran at him again with flames erupting from his blade. Even in the presence of such a strong enemy, the Guardian was unafraid. Their swords clashed with neither one of them seeming to have an advantage. A smile came across Sydney's face as he fired a dozen lances from his left hand, which overwhelmed and destroyed the powerful demon. He then turned and saw Nick and Dinofly had already wiped out the rest of the creatures.

"Aw, I hardly got to have fun there," Nick said, "I didn't even have the chance to go all out on them."

"So that wasn't your full power?"

"Nope, that was more like just a warm up," he said shaking his head.

"So you're even stronger than Kensei," Sydney pondered in awe.

This caused Nick to start laughing. "Not even close my friend. Kensei is at least a hundred times stronger than me. I'm actually one of the weakest Guardians."

"Wow," was all Sydney managed to say.

"Come on; let's head back to Kensei to show him your new powers."

…

"Kensei," Nick said running up to the elder, "Sydney's done it!" Instead of the middle ground where they had met before, this time they were in what looked just like a normal house. Kensei sat in a large red chair while about half a dozen others filled the room.

"Impressive young one," Kensei said gazing over the young Guardian's white armor. "You are no longer just Sydney, but now you bear the title of Paladin of Light. You are truly a Guardian of Truth now, and one of us. I will warn you though; great danger is on the horizon."

"So are these the other Guardians?"

"Yes," Nick said as he began to introduce the others. Sitting on the couch are Ellie and James. They are always together and make a fearsome team in battle. Ellie is one of the best healers we have, and James enjoys destroying things. Don't get on his bad side though, since he enjoys coming up with creative ways for people to suffer. Just ask Connor," Nick trailed off.

"Who?" Sydney asked wearily.

"Don't worry about it, everything worked out in the end," James said with a grin. He and Ellie appeared to be in their thirties, but Sydney knew that looks didn't always match the Guardian's true age.

"Fun times though," Ellie added. Her golden hair draped down to her shoulders, a sharp contrast to James' short black hair. Both of them had slender figures, though James was more muscular.

"And over here we have Sarah and Max," Nick said pointing to the other side of the room. On another couch sat two people who seemed no older than Sydney. Max had messy black hair that came down covering one of his brown eyes while Sarah had her brown hair tied up in a ponytail. "They're best friends, and though they vehemently deny it, I'm pretty sure they have the hots for each other."

Nick was quickly silenced by an arrow flying less than an inch from his head. A couple strands of his light brown hair gently floated to the ground. Sydney turned to see Sarah holding a bow with a scary look on her face. "Say something like that again, and the next one won't miss."

Nick could only nod in response as Max stifled a laugh.

"Children," Kensei said as he cleared his throat, "We have important matters to discuss, don't we Chris?"

"Yes elder Kensei," another Guardian answered. He was bald and carried a sword at his side. He also had bandages covering his body, obviously from a recent battle. "Hakalahs is back, and is much stronger than before. I underestimated him and barely escaped with my life." Chris looked down in shame. He couldn't believe he had been defeated like that. He knew his opponent was strong, but never thought he could actually lose.

Sydney couldn't believe that someone had beaten a Guardian. Nick was one of the weakest and he had incredible power, so how strong would this new foe be?

"Our scouts have indicated he has been raising an army that could not only threaten his world, but many others as well," Kensei said."As Guardians, it is our responsibility to restore balance and stop him before he grows too powerful." The Guardians all nodded in response. "Let's roll."

A portal opened up and the eight of them stepped through it. It was time to remind an old foe of the power the Guardians possessed.

* * *

**A/N: **There will be some explanations next chapter about who Hakalahs is and the previous battles between him and the Guardians, though some of you might recognize him...

Also, I've based a lot of the Guardians off some of my favorite authors on the site. Sarah and Max from the Symponia fandom (Sirens and Muses) and Ellie and James for the Suite Life one (Ellianna22 and her cp/bf) so thanks to them for letting me steal them for the story.


	11. Chapter 11: The First Domino Falls

**Chapter 11: The First Domino Falls**

Sydney and the other Guardians stepped into the portal taking them into a world of pure white. "Where are we going?" the young Guardian asked.

"To the city of your world known as London England," Kensei responded.

"Wait why?"

"Have you ever heard of the Ancients?"

"No," Sydney said shaking his head.

"They are those from your world who have been given the gift to control the world around them. There are the Elementals who can control the elements, such as fire, wind, lightning, water, earth, and ice. There are also the Dimensionals who can manipulate space and time. Long ago, these people were prevalent and ruled a great empire. The Ancients used their power to help the people build one of the most prosperous empires that ever existed. However, a man named Hakalahs came to rule, who wielded the powers of both the Dimensionals and Elementals. Unlike the normal Ancients who could only wield one element, he could control many of them. We don't know the exact details, but he led the other ancients in attempting to eradicate all normal humans. The Guardians stepped in to stop his army, which sadly killed most of the ancients at the time, and after the war, the people were terrified of them, and if anyone was found to have the powers of the Ancients, they were put to death."

"That's horrible," Sydney said, trying to take in all this information, "But how did Hakalahs come back?"

"He had help," Chris said.

"We thought he had died in the battle then, however, several hundred years later, war broke out between the Guardians and the Nightwings," Kensei said.

"Wait, did you say the Nightwings?" Sydney asked, the word sticking out to him; he knew he had heard it before.

"Yes, do you know them?"

Sydney thought back several months, to the letter Noah had written before he had killed himself _'Listening about Dad going on about those Nightwings and how I could be one of those creatures? No thanks.'_ "I think Noah might have been training to become a Nightwing," he said, not sure if that made any sense.

"It's a distinct possibility, after all, his father was once a captain of the Nightwing's royal guard. It's only natural he would attempt to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sydney interrupted, being overwhelmed by all this information, "Slow down here, what's a Nightwing, how is Noah's dad one of them, and what is going on with them?"

"The Nightwings are a powerful race, that exist in another world from yours. Many people say they look like angels, except for their pitch-black wings. They rule their world with an iron fist, anyone who isn't a Nightwing is taught from birth not to go against their power."

"Let me guess, they weren't just content with their world?" Sydney asked. He never would have guessed that Noah was connected to something like this. At first he thought Noah was just a jerk, and then thought his dad had just pushed him too far, but now it looked like it could be something much more.

"Precisely," Chris said, "Last time war broke out against them, they nearly defeated us. Many Guardians gave their lives in that battle." Sydney noticed that Chris was looking down as he said that, curious about the other Guardians' past, but decided that wasn't important at this moment.

"The Nightwings found a way to open portals to various worlds, and using their magic they were able to convince many powerful nations to support them with troops and supplies. We had the advantage in individual power, but between the Nightwings and their allies, we were tremendously outnumbered. To our surprise though, one of their most powerful generals was Hakalahs. We defeated him, though he managed to escape with his life. However, with the war raging we didn't have time to pursue him."

"What happened in the war?" Sydney asked, overwhelmed with all this information, but he wanted to know where Noah and his family came from.

"Seeing that we couldn't beat them alone, we borrowed their trick, and forged alliances with those the Nightwings were fighting. Even so, it wasn't enough. After several years of horrible destruction, we saw we couldn't keep fighting these battles. Instead we launched an offense on the Nightwing capital, hoping that by killing their king we could put an end to the war," Kensei continued to explain.

"That was one of the darkest days in the Guardians' history," Chris added.

"Indeed, the most powerful Guardians joined together in that battle, led by the Truth Seeker, Kulmanari," Kensei said, "However, their King Sephiroth led the Nightwings. The battle was fierce, but we managed to win, however, less than half of the Guardians survived that battle. Kulmanari and his brother were able to kill Sephiroth, but not without losing their own lives in the process."

"That's terrible," Sydney said, seeing the grim look on the Guardians' faces, obviously still hurt by the loss from the many years ago.

"And that's why we have to stop Hakalahs here, and make sure another war like that doesn't start," Kensei said with resolve and the rest of the Guardians nodded. The white space around them opened up to a vast city below them. They landed on one of the buildings, feeling a cool winter's breeze strike them in the face. In the distance, faint sounds of gunfire and roars of monsters echoed through the air.

"You nervous?" Nick asked, putting a comforting hand on Sydney's shoulder.

"Yeah," Sydney said. He swore he could hear the sound of someone screaming out in pain, but the noise was too faint for him to be sure. He swallowed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. Looking down, he could see his hands emanating a faint glow. He understood now why he was given these powers. There were real people out there, fighting for their lives, and possibly breathing their last breaths this very moment. It was a humbling thought, before war had only been something the news sometimes talked about, or stories in the history books. Now, it was a part of his life.

"Don't worry, you won't be alone here. The enemy might be strong, but they aren't the only ones," Nick said with a smile. Sydney had to look up to the other Guardian. Physically Nick looked even younger than him, but he could tell that he spoke from experience. He could hear more horrendous sounds of the battle that seemed to be closing in. Sydney pulled his power into him, ready to fight. It wouldn't be much longer.

"I know," the young Guardian said with confidence.

A/N: A short but important chapter that will take us into the first major arc of the story. I apologize if the history part seemed rushed, but I didn't want to needlessly draw it out. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I also apologize for taking so long to update, but I plan to make up for it soon. I have the next 5 chapters written, I just need to do some minor editing so they should be up soon.


	12. 12: Strike of the Guardians: Kensei

**A/N: I was originally going to update this with the rest of the updates, but thought it would be nice to release this chapter early to thank you for reading. Also, some fanfiction elements start showing up here, but they are minor enough lack of knowledge shouldn't hinder understanding. Enjoy...**

'_Sea without a shore for the banished one unheard__  
__He lightens the beacon, light at the end of world__  
__Showing the way lighting hope in their hearts__  
__The ones on their travels homeward from afar'_

_The Islander, Nightwish_

**Chapter 12: Strike of the Guardians: Kensei**

Gazing out over the battlefield, Kensei knew the danger that loomed for his team. They were strong; he knew all eight of them had the power that would astound mere humans. Even so, powerful enemies awaited them, some with the power to rival even them.

"Our mission is simple, stop Hakalahs and his army. The citizens have already evacuated the city so you can fight without worry of harming them," Kensei stated, "Sarah, Max and Nick, take the southern part, Chris, Ellie and James, take the north, Sydney and I will take the center." He had been through and led many battles like this. That didn't stop his nervousness before going into battle. He took a deep breath, knowing he could only trust that the other Guardians would be strong enough to handle these foes. He thought back to when he first met each of them those many centuries ago, and how they had grown since then. "All right, let's go!"

"I don't need protection," Chris blurted out, sprinting away along several buildings before anyone could stop him.

"Why'd he run off like that?" Sydney asked.

"He hates that he was beaten and thinks that fighting with us just proves how weak he is," Ellie explained.

"Eh, I'm sure he can handle himself," Sarah said with a shrug.

"True, I feel sorry for whoever he runs into out there," James said.

…

The groups split up, each taking their respective parts of the city. Kensei and Sydney ran into several monsters, but the young Guardian easily handled them while Kensei stood back satisfied with how his student's powers had grown. He still had a long way to go, but it was a start.

Kensei detected something in the distance, a great power building. He looked to his student, seeing the danger coming. "Sydney, stay here," he said as he walked off to meet this threat.

"Wait, why? I thought we were supposed to stay together."

"We were, but I might not be able to protect you if I have to go all out here." If his guess was right and this was Hakalahs, things could get dangerous really fast. He hated leaving Sydney alone, but the monsters were pitiful against even the weakest Guardian's power.

"What should I do then?"

"Join up with Nick's group, and run if you see any of the enemy commanders. It's better to run and live another day than to rush into a suicidal fight. Don't let your hatred guide you." He knew Sydney could let his hatred control his actions. He was prone to anger quickly, which could prove deadly in a battle like this. His strong sense of justice would make a powerful tool once he learned to keep a level head in tense situations.

"Okay," Sydney said with a nod.

…

Just as Kensei guessed, a powerful foe awaited him. As he got closer, he could make out the black wings of a Nightwing, and the body was just like the one he had fought in the war those many years ago; there was no mistaking Hakalahs. Beside him stood another female warrior, though clearly defeated judging from her swords lying beside her. He ran faster, knowing that she didn't have much longer.

As his enemy brought his sword down, Kensei stood in the way, drawing his blade just in time to deflect the powerful attack. He'd have to get Hakalahs away long enough so she could escape.

"Guardian Field," the elder said, causing blinding light runes to erupt from the ground, forcing Hakalahs to jump into the air to avoid being blown away by its power. "Get away," he told the stranger and she quickly fled, leaving Kensei to continue the battle void of distractions. "Hakalahs, accept defeat and you may yet live," he demanded, his voice carrying a heavy authority.

"Confident words after only one attack," Hakalahs replied, "Why don't you try threatening me after you've landed a blow on me?"

"Surely you remember my power," the Guardian said as red runes spread out all around him. Apparently after the centuries, Hakalahs had forgotten their previous battle. That would be his mistake.

"Kensei, I should have known."

As Kensei finished the spell a giant fireball, hundreds of feet in diameter fell from the sky. Hakalahs tried getting away, but it came too fast and was too large for him to avoid. The mighty spell exploded, sending an enflamed Hakalahs flying to the ground along with decimating any buildings in the vicinity.

Kensei stood back, wondering if that was all it took to defeat Hakalahs. The general he had battled during the Great War had been able to nearly match his power, though the Guardian knew he had grown stronger in the past several centuries. After a few moments, Hakalahs rose again, brushing off the attack, which didn't surprise the Guardian. Kensei gripped his staff, ready to unleash another spell once he saw what his foe planned to do.

"You're even stronger than before I see," Hakalahs said with a sigh, "I'll admit my strength is not enough to win this battle." This was odd, Hakalahs was never one to admit defeat. His arrogance was unprecedented, never ordering a retreat unless his superiors demanded that he did, and even then, he vehemently protested. "However, I wasn't about to let a small detail like that stop me, so I decided to call upon a little help." Hakalahs began glowing with a flashy black aura that seemed to shake the sky.

"What is this?" Kensei said taking a step back. He recognized this power, it was that of a true Nightwing. So that was his plan, combine his own power with that of a fully awakened Nightwing. Kensei knew if he didn't put an end to this now, there would be horrible repercussions. If the rumors of the Nightwings alliance with Hakalahs were true, the Guardians might not be able to win this battle.

"Tremble in fear Kensei, for you can not win!" Hakalahs bellowed. "Imagine for a second my friend, the power of the ancients combined with that of the Nightwings!" Kensei sighed; he could tell this was a power strong enough to rival his own. It was rare that someone would come along strong enough to force him to go all out, though he wouldn't let his arrogance lead to his defeat. He remembered one of his teachers telling him that if he knew himself and knew the enemy he'd have nothing to fear from a thousand battles.

"Very well then; I'll show you the true power of the Archsage of Light." Kensei pulled out a blue crystal out of his cloak and placed it on his hand, making the power it held within his own. Even though he hated using the crystal to magnify his power, there were times he didn't have a choice He sprouted blue translucent wings that lifted him into the sky. "Come at me."

"Very well," Hakalahs said drawing his blade and the two of them collided, their swords pushing against each other trying to get leverage over the other's strength but it was to no avail, they appeared evenly matched.

Hakalahs broke away, and used his speed to try getting behind Kensei, though the Guardian was fast enough to block it. "Divine judgment!" Kensei said, calling upon innumerable rays of light to fall from the sky upon Hakalahs, sending him into the ground and creating a crater nearly 10 feet deep.

Hakalahs sprung back though, obviously injured but far from beaten. "Soul destruction," Hakalahs said as he flew through the air, his hands pulsing with dark energy. Soon a ghastly wind swept through the air, turning buildings to dust.

Kensei felt a malignant presence through the air as if it was reaching through his skin and tearing at his very soul. It was no surprise that the Nightwings were often compared to demons because of the ferocity that they fought with. He was sure that lesser beings would have been destroyed by such a powerful spell, but he wouldn't let himself be beaten so easily.

As Kensei began gathering his power once more, the previously clear sky above them became covered with grey clouds. Flashes of lightning danced along the clouds and a vicious downpour descended upon the combatants.

"You think a little rain will stop me?" Hakalahs asked right before he appeared behind Kensei trying to catch him off guard, however the Guardian once again blocked it and the two were locked in mid air. The Guardian wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but soon he found the rain wrapping around him in powerful streams that threw him into the ground. As he landed, he remembered Hakalahs had control over the water, and he saw that his opponent had used his own spell against him.

Kensei hastily got back to his feet and flew to the sky and unleashed another spell, wrapping Hakalahs in a cyclone of wind, which viciously tore at him. However, the Nightwing countered with a black wind attack, tearing through the blades of wind with dark shockwaves from his sword. "The elements around us are mine to command, the lightning of the clouds, the water falling along us, the earth below, and even the fires blazing in the streets. Do you really think you can win?" Hakalahs declared.

"Have at me then," Kensei said, pointing his sword at Hakalahs, hoping to provoke his foe into attacking, and giving him an opening. It was true that even with his full power, Kensei wasn't sure he could win. His foe had control of the elements, could manipulate space and time, and now had the magic of the Nightwings behind him. Never before had these powerful gifts been combined into one person.

However, he was still easily manipulated.

As Kensei planned, Hakalahs flew at him, fire and lightning flowing along his blades. Hakalahs viciously slashed through the air, leaving the Guardian completely unharmed. Kensei then quickly cast a spell to incase his foe in an indestructible green orb. "I see you fell for my illusion trick," Kensei said standing outside the green sphere.

"What is this?"

"My attacks on the body carry with them incredible destructive power, but if they are seen they can be avoided. Simple attacks on the mind can be much more effective; merely making my opponent think I'm somewhere else can be all it takes."

Now that he couldn't be interrupted by Hakalahs' attacks, Kensei could focus enough of his power for his most powerful spells. "I who stand in the full light of the heavens call upon thee, who opens the gates of hell. Come forth, divining lightning! This ends now! Indignation!"

The green prison faded, though it was too late for the ancient to stop the spell. The clouds above grew even darker as electricity shot across them in a brilliant show of light. The lightning fell from the sky, blanketing the battlefield with millions of bolts, destroying any cars, buildings, streets, and anything else in the way. Hakalahs tried teleporting away as the attacks fell toward him, but as soon as he escaped one, two more flew down at him. After several strikes, he was sent to the ground, and saw that this wasn't an attack he could simply dodge, and his power of electricity couldn't handle such ferocity.

Kensei looked on, confident that not even Hakalahs could survive an attack like that. It took an incredible amount of power to cast such a spell, and left him vulnerable for a brief moment as he had to focus his entire body and mind into controlling the destructive power.

However, he saw Hakalahs rise from the ground once again, the lightning continuing to strike him, though it merely bounced off him. That was impossible, even the strongest lightning elemental couldn't handle that much raw power. He was still pouring all his energy into the attack, and couldn't react to Hakalahs flying at him. The Nightwing sliced his blade across the Guardian's stomach, cutting off his lower half.

Kensei fell to the ground, doing everything he could to keep what was left of his body in one piece. Hakalahs wasn't about to let this powerful of a foe escape alive. He gathered lightning in his hand and fired several bolts at the Guardian, eradicating what was left of him.

…

A/N: Even with all of his power, Kensei is unable to defeat Hakalahs, and loses his life attempting too. However, Hakalahs wasn't the only powerful villain lurking the streets of the city. How will the rest of the Guardians fare against these powerful foes? Stay tuned…


	13. 13: Strike of the Guardians: Sydney

**A/N: **I thought about having this all as one chapter, but thought it would be better to break it up based on the characters involved, so a lot of these will be shorter battles.

'_So you say you're not going to fight__  
__Because no one will fight for you_

_So hold on, the weight of the world__  
__Will give you the strength to go__  
__Just hold, on the weight of the world__  
__Will give you the strength to go'_

_Robot Boy, Linkin Park_

**Chapter 13: Strike of the Guardians: Sydney**

With Kensei gone, Sydney started walking through the streets of the city, trying to keep track of his bearings though the many twists and turns while attempting to avoid the enemy. He didn't think these monsters would be much of a threat to him, but he didn't want to attract any more attention than necessary, at least while he was alone.

After several moments of traveling he couldn't figure out which direction was south so finding the others would be nearly impossible, and just wondering around aimlessly wouldn't do any good. Looking up to one of the buildings, he decided to fly to the top of it to get a better view of the battle. Harnessing the power of light, he propelled himself through the air, letting his instinct guide him as he carefully controlled the power he was drawing on so he didn't lose control. He gently landed on the roof and gazed around the battlefield, trying to find his friends, and seeing what would be the best route to avoid running into too many enemies. Several gunshots rang out causing him to rush over to see what was happening.

Looking down at the streets below, he saw about a dozen soldiers' bodies strewn along the street in a bloody mess. He then saw someone splashed with blood standing over them. This had to be one of the Ancients Kensei had told him about.

Sydney knew it was time to make use of his powers. He couldn't just allow someone like this to continue killing innocents. "Hey!" Sydney shouted, causing the Ancient to turn to face him.

"One of the Guardians I presume."

"Yes," Sydney answered as he leapt from the building landing right in front of this stranger, his sword poised ready to strike. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

"Interesting." A sword appeared in the stranger's hands from seemingly nowhere. "The Guardians are known for their unmatchable power in combat, far exceeded that of any mortal man. They are trained in many different forms of combat, allowing them to defeat any foe, no matter the number or might of their enemy."

"For all your knowledge of us, you seem to lack the proper fear." For all this stranger seemed to know about the Guardians, he was surprisingly calm. Sydney had only seen a small fraction of their power, and if he were going to have to fight one, he'd be running the opposite direction probably soiling his pants in the process.

"Perhaps," he said, making no motion to attack "Tell me, do you think you can defeat me?"

"Of course, I have the power of light coursing through me; there is no way I will lose." Sydney said, trying to hide the apprehension building within him.

"And that is your mistake. It is not the source that you draw your power on that makes you strong, but your own ability."

The Guardian took a step back, surprised at how well this foe had been able to see into his fear.

"It doesn't matter. It's my job as a Guardian to stop you from killing anymore innocent people," Sydney said trying to reassure himself of his own ability.

"Tell me your name."

"Sydney, what's it to you?" he spat, anger building inside him.

"I enjoy learning about my opponent before I battle them; it's surprising the effect a little bit of information can have on a battle. Anyway, my name is Trey. Now, show me your power."

The Guardian did, the white armor glowing brighter as he gathered as much of his power as he could as possible. Sydney fired several streams of light that cascaded through the air, though Trey managed to dodge them and the attacks went through several buildings, causing massive destruction before finally dissipating. Trey then disappeared, causing Sydney to look around, only to discover his foe was right behind him. In a blink of the eye, the Ancient slammed his sword into the Guardian's back, sending him flying off his feet and into an ATM. "You're power is impressive, but neglect your own defenses and you will be dead in no time."

"Don't lecture me," Sydney said, getting back to his feet. "I don't need sympathy from my enemy."

"So you would have rather me killed you with that last attack?" Trey asked, "If you can't hope to stop even a simple attack, you don't stand a chance here."

"Maybe," Sydney said, his breaths hastening as his grip on the blade tightened, "But I saw how you just killed those soldiers. I can't just let someone like you go on to murder anyone else." He couldn't forgive someone who would so easily end another's life.

"They choose this path. Anyone who puts on the uniform of the armed services gives up their right to life. It is the way war works."

"You truly are a monster," Sydney said, "That's why I have to stop you."

"Try it then," Trey said, holding out his blade, daring the Guardian to try to fight him.

Without another word, Sydney ran along the street jumping into the air and bringing his blade down with as much force as he could muster as Trey stood there, easily matching his foe's strength. Sydney didn't give up, slashing and thrusting at the ancient who barely parried each attack. "Noah, I won't fail anyone else," Sydney said softly, driving himself to fight harder. "I can't lose." Before he had been too scared to actually confront his past, and because of that, he was too late. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He wouldn't let fear consume him any longer. With this new power, he'd fight, and he would win.

"Who is this Noah?" Trey asked, their swords clashing once more.

"Someone I was too late to save," Sydney replied, slamming his sword into the street, causing a sphere of light to erupt from the ground.

Trey back flipped through the air, landing far enough away for the light to dissipate before reaching him. However, Sydney quickly closed the distance between them, their swords locking in midair again.

Blocking an attack aimed at slicing his head off, Trey went on the offensive, slashing across Sydney's chest, slicing through the Guardian's armor causing blood to erupt from the wound, Sydney tried fighting through the pain, but to no avail. He was far too slow and weak to even land a blow. Trey blocked his attacks, before sending him flying through the air with a kick that had enough speed to shatter the chest plate, and sent him flying through several buildings.


	14. 14 Strike of the Guardians: Chris

_'Who is innocent?__  
__Who is innocent?__  
__Is it relevant in the world today?__  
__I shake my head in disbelief__  
__The killer walks again__  
__Freed by evil men__  
__And their dark charade_

_A murdered family__  
__Is the world insane?'_

_Innocent, Disturbed_

**Chapter 14: Strike of the Guardians: Chris**

After getting away from the other Guardians, Chris decided it was time to start taking down these pesky foes. With his humiliating defeat, he didn't want the other Guardians to have to save him again. He knew his limits, he wouldn't rush into a battle he couldn't win again, but he wouldn't let them baby him. Sure, he lost a fight, but that didn't mean he wasn't a powerful warrior.

As he journeyed through the city, he saw a couple Nightwings already flying in the air firing their crimson energy blasts. He drew his sword, ready to strike them down, but stopped seeing that they were battling each other. He paused, confused as to why two Nightwings would try killing each other especially in a middle of a battle. It didn't matter much to him though, if the enemy killed each other that made it easier on him. He saw one fall to the ground, indicating that it was his time to join the fight.

"Turn and face me," Chris called out, his blade drawn, wanting to at least give his foe the privilege of a honorable death.

"And just who do you think you are?" the Nightwing turned, obviously not knowing the power of the one he was about to face.

"I am Chris, a Guardian of Truth, and the one who will kill you. I thought I'd at least give you the chance to defend yourself before I kill you."

"Quite arrogant aren't you. Between my magic and with the sky as my domain, you don't stand a chance," the Nightwing said as he floated several feet in the air.

"Psh, you may be able to fly, but I can still kick your ass."

The Nightwing leapt into the air, getting a safe distance away to channel a spell before gathering his power. "Roar oh dragon of crimson flames. Come and devour my-"

Chris decided to show the Nightwing how arrogant he was in a single stroke. Harnessing a fraction of his power, he accelerated his body, leapt into the air and left a giant slash in the Nightwings side before returning to the ground. He heard the Nightwing fall to the ground a second later.

"A little piece of advice, it doesn't matter how powerful your spells might be if you don't have time to cast them. I guess it's a little late for that though." Chris began walking away, ignoring the threats coming from the soon to be dead Nightwing. If that was the best they could do, then the Guardians had nothing to fear from the Nightwings.

...

A/N: Short, but not all battles take a long time.


	15. Strike of the Guardians: Ellie & James

_"I'm the one with the warrior inside_  
_My dominance can't be denied_  
_Your entire world will turn_  
_Into a battlefield tonight_  
_As I look upon you,_  
_with a warrior's eyes now_  
_I can see the fear that will_  
_Ensure my victory this time"_

_-Warrior, Disturbed_

**Chapter 15: Strike of the Guardians: James & Ellie**

"Look down there," James said pointing below where several elementals engaged each other in battle.

"That fire elemental looks like the description of David, one of Hakalahs' commanders."

"Just what I was thinking," James said and the two of them landed on the rooftops and saw that David and another elemental stood over two others who appeared to only be in their teens. "I'll take care of David and his friend while you protect the kids," James said as he jumped down to the streets below.

Ellie summoned her armor of light, which covered her in snow-white armor that projected a white aura around her. She also brought forth her golden staff that was decorated with white runes that glowed in response to her power.

"That should protect them," she called out from the rooftop, shielding the teens in a shower of light that would keep the enemies away.

"And just who the hell do you think you are?" David spat as he gazed upon her.

"I am Ellie, also known as the Maiden of Light. I'd hate to see you get hurt by getting in over your head, so you might want to run." She really wondered when James would show up, he was probably getting his grand entrance ready.

"You really think I'd lose to someone like you? Apparently you don't know who you're messing with!" Ellie really wanted to burst out in laughter at how foolish this foe was. Oh she was going to enjoy James having his way with him.

"I guess I should be the one to handle you then," James said as he walked down the street, a gentle breeze blowing through the air giving him an air of seriousness about him. Wanting to show David how strong he was, he decided to get rid of his friend. He held out his hand toward the two, several blue sparks jumping between two fingers. "Though I think Ellie has some other matters to attend to, and a two verses one fight seems a little unfair to me."

Before the two elementals could respond, James sent a stream of blue lightning out of his hand, striking David's ally, sending him flying through a building and rendering him unconscious.

"Who are you!" David yelled, his fear showing.

"My name is James, the Dragon of Light. Like Ellie, I am a Guardian of Truth. Now, let's have a little fun here," he said with an eager grin as he cracked his knuckles. It had been a while since he had had a real challenge, and he wasn't allowed to go all out while training with the other Guardians.

James watched his foe take a step back, the grin on his face growing. Oh, this would be a fun battle.

After a moment, the elemental jumped at James, sending massive streams of fire at him, though the Guardian was quick to leap into the air and return fire with a blue blaze. Flames of red and blue clashed, neither one able to overpower the other as the blaze spread out, setting fire to various buildings. While the buildings were enflamed, David ran at James, sending several flaming punches and kicks at the Guardian, however they were easily deflected.

James readied himself for the next attack, though was shocked to feel several pieces of stone shoot out from the ground and latch on to his ankles. According to the intelligence they had, David was a master of the element of fire and had been infused with some of the dimensional powers that allowed him to move several times faster than a normal human.

The Guardian glanced around, wondering what was coming, though couldn't defend himself when David hit him with a powerful flaming kick sending him into a building before continuing the attack with several flaming fireballs. "A bunch of talk but nothing to back it up with," David said turning to Ellie who was on the ground, healing the elemental teens with her light magic.

"James," she said shaking her head. "Would you take this serious for once?"

"Fine, I just wanted to see how strong his attacks really were," James said, emerging from the rubble completely unharmed.

"It can't be…" David said.

"Shall I show you my true power?" James asked, a confident grin across his face as blue fire and lightning raced across his arms.

"Few Guardians can match James in raw power," Ellie explained. "He also has a nasty habit of playing with his enemies before finally finishing them. You should start running."

David shot several streams of fire at James, but they merely bounced off the Guardian as he slowly walked to his foe. "It's been nice knowing you," James said with a smirk as he jumped into the air, sprouting blue wings made of fire before flying at David. The fire elemental tried using his own speed to counter though it was futile as James was able to match his speed effortlessly. David then tried aiming another flaming kick at James, but he grabbed his ankle out of the air, dissipating the red fire before tossing him at least 20 feet into the air. With his wings growing larger and brighter, James rocketed after the elemental delivering an electricity charged punch to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, before sending him soaring back to the ground with a flaming kick to the back. To ensure his foe wouldn't come back again, James proceeded to fire countless blasts of fire and lightning at the crater David had made when he landed. After about a minute of constant fire in which he destroyed at least half a city block, he landed, content that he had won due to the fact that not a trace of his opponent remained.

"Happy now Ellie?" he asked, powering down while walking over to her.

"Yeah, though you didn't need to destroy so much of the city."

"Come on, you know that's my favorite part," he said with a proud grin. "After all, what guy doesn't like big explosions?"

"Fine, fine, mister macho, now help me carry them so we can get them to a hospital to finish recovering. I was able to heal most of their injuries, but they'll still need some rest."

"All right, lead the way," he said picking up the two and slinging them over his shoulders while Ellie guided them to the hospital.


	16. Strike of the Guardians Max Sarah & Nick

_'Spring and summer are going  
and fall and winter are coming.  
Time doesn't' come back  
But even if the world is full of lies  
we can make it if we're together'_

_Be Free, Greeeen (English translation)_

**Chapter 16: Strike of the Guardians: Max, Sarah, & Nick**

Sarah, Max and Nick walked through the city, battling a few weak monsters but nothing that posed any threat to them. "It looks like all the other Guardians have encountered the enemy," Max said, sensing the concentration of light once the Guardians drew upon their powers. "It seems like Kensei and Sydney went all out in their battle, James and Ellie used some of their power while Chris hardly used any."

"You think they'll just beat all of them and not leave any for us?" Sarah asked while punching a zombie's head off that tried slashing her.

"According to the data I gathered, there weren't many enemies directly attacking the city, and remember there were several ancients fighting to defend the city too, so between those, we might not have to fight," Nick explained.

"If that's the case we should see if any of the others need our help then," Sarah said.

Max focused on the light flowing through the city, seeing if he could detect any power fluctuations that would indicate a difficult battle. His eyes widened when one of the sources instantly faded. "Guys, I can't sense Kensei's light anymore!"

"That just means he toasted whomever he was battling and didn't want to overexert himself," Sarah said, brushing off her friend's concern. After all, it was impossible for anyone to defeat Kensei. There had only been a few in the history of the Guardian's that had managed to reach his power.

"I hope so, it seemed awfully sudden for it to be under his control," Max said, seeing the logic in her words while trying to focus more intently on the fluctuations in light to see if he could learn anything more. "If feels like Sydney is nearby and it seems like he's in a tough battle."

"Wait, he's not with Kensei?" Nick asked, shocked that the elder would let his student go off by himself this soon, especially in a battle with this powerful of enemies.

"Nope, Kensei is at the other end of town."

"He probably didn't want Sydney to get caught in the crossfire when he went all out," Sarah said with a shrug, not overly concerned with this battle. After all, it had been a long time since she was in a fight that took any effort to win.

However, as they were discussing this, the building beside them began rumbling as if something had crashed into it. No more than a minute later, Sydney came flying through it, drywall and other random furniture accompanying him. The young Guardian landed in the middle of the street, skidding on his back until he finally hit a streetlight.

"Ouch," he said, struggling to get back to his feet, thankful that the armor had taken most of the brunt of that attack, though still in pain.

"You okay?" Nick asked running over to him.

"He was too strong," the Paladin said somberly.

"That's okay, you're not alone now," Nick said helping his friend back to his feet. Nick dawned his rainbow armor, not letting himself be caught off guard by whatever was coming. Max and Sarah followed suit. Max was coated in a bright red armor accented in silver that seemed to warm the air around it while Sarah encased herself in blue armor accented in gold.

"All right, come out where ever you are!" Sarah shouted already having several arrows notched in her bow. "You mess with one Guardian you mess with all of us."

"Be careful, he doesn't look tough, but he is," Sydney warned, exhausted after his short conflict.

"Don't worry, with the three of us here, we'll be fine," Nick said, knowing how great of a team Max and Sarah were with them growing up in Triet together, even joining a renegade military organization together before being called as Guardians. He wasn't sure there was a scarier site than the two of them teaming up to take down someone they didn't like.

"The coward's hiding, he must know what he's up against," Sarah declared, laughing at her foe's fear.

"That doesn't seem like him," Sydney said, noticing how calm Trey was before they battled. He even said he wanted to battle a Guardian, so he would be up for a challenge. Unless he decided he didn't want to face three at once, then he might flee.

"It can't be," Nick said, looking up in pure terror. The other three Guardians followed his vision to the sky above them that was now covered in black, hundreds of Nightwings flying overhead.

"Those are Nightwings," Max said, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground.

"Guess I'll get the chance to fight after all," Sarah said taking aim and firing several arrows up into the sky to get their attention.

Sydney paused for a second just staring at the Nightwings overhead, taking in the sight of the sky being covered with their black wings.

"Alright, let's take them down," Max said, drawing his twin rapiers as flames erupted along his body.

Swooping down, the Nightwings drew their blades clashing with Max who rocketed himself up to face them before blowing them away with a fireball exploding around his body. His deft sword work easily sliced through his enemies, and his fire took down those he missed. Sarah aided her friend by firing arrows from below seeing those that would get by Max's defense and sending them falling to the ground. The Red Knight came back to the ground, his fire only able to keep him airborne for so long.

"Ready for a unison attack?" Max asked

"Storm of fire and ice?" Sarah responded to which he nodded.

Sarah put her bow on her back and launched powerful streams of water up into the air while Max did the same with his fire. The two clashed, forming a thick cloud of steam blinding the Nightwings stuck in it. Now that they couldn't avoid anything, Sarah fired innumerable arrows into the air, striking some of their foe while other arrows continued ascending into the sky. Max then held out his hands, summoning a massive amount of small fireballs in front of him, and then transformed them into spears and then shot them up at the still blinded Nightwings. As the fire began piercing them, Sarah's arrows fell back into the fray, accompanied by a massive number of ice spears. Nearly the entire army of Nightwings fell to the combined might of fire and ice.

"Wow, those two are awesome," Sydney said, shocked by not only their individual powers, but also the way they could seamlessly combine their attacks for devastating attacks.

"Yeah, I wanted to kill a few of them myself, but it looks like they beat me to it," Nick said.

"I'm quite impressed as well. I guess that's what I get for expecting low level soldiers to be able to stand up to Guardians though.

The three turned to see a Nightwing cloaked from head to toe with black robes.

"And just who do you think you are?" Sarah asked, an arrow already set.

"I'm Mystogan, the top general of the Nightwings military." Hearing this, Sarah released her arrow, though he was fast enough to put his staff up to block it. "While I'd love to fight you now, that can wait for the next phase. Don't worry; I'll make sure to kill all you pathetic Guardians later."

"Why not take us on now if we're so pathetic," Sarah asked restraining herself from running up to him and ripping his arms off.

"Don't tempt me; a Guardian gave me that challenge four years ago. He barely put up a fight before I killed him." He jumped into the sky, ready to fly away, but before he could get away, Nick ran toward him.

"Who did you kill?" he asked, clenching his fists tightly.

"Oh, I don't remember the names of weaklings, it was some animal sumoner or something," he said casually.

"Jacob," Nick said to himself hanging his head in despair. "I'll kill you!" he then screamed, spinning his staff, the colors of the rainbow bleeding together into pure white. The massive burst of white energy shot at Mystogan, who deflected it with a swipe of his staff.

"Save it for next time young Guardian." With that, the Nightwings opened up a black portal and stepped into it.

"You okay Nick?" Sydney asked, shocked to see his normally levelheaded foe so angry.

"He's the one who killed my teacher. Jacob welcomed me into the Guardians, taught me how to fight, he even gave me Dinofly. Then the Nightwings killed him while he was on a scouting mission. Mystogan won't get away next time," Nick said, falling to his knees and punching the ground trying to release his anger.

"Calm down, we all miss him," Max said placing his hand on the Rainbow Knights shoulder. "For now we need to regroup with the others and get ready for the next battle."

"I guess you're right," Nick admitted, seeing that his anger wouldn't solve anything here.

"Come on, let's go meet the others," Max said and the three of them followed the Red Knight as he guided them through the city.

* * *

**A/N: **Now that this stage of the battle is complete, I hoped you enjoyed seeing the various characters. I'm going to go back to mainly focusing on Sydney, though I'll still show some of the other characters back stories. Thanks for reading everyone, and thank you even more if you review.


	17. Chapter 17: A Familiar Voice

**Chapter 17: A Familiar Voice**

Sydney woke up the next day, his body vehemently protesting any attempted movement. The hospital floor was far from the most comfortable place to sleep, but he knew that anything resembling a bed would be best utilized elsewhere and after the day he had, he was just glad to be given the ten seconds he needed to fall asleep. He gazed out the window, seeing that the sun had already risen high into the sky making him wonder how long he has been asleep. Forcing his arm to move despite the pain and stiffness coursing through it, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. '11:23' the clock read. It had been a long time since he slept that late when video game tournaments hadn't been involved.

He lifted himself onto his knees, his arms being pushed to the limit, not ready for that much of a workout that early in the morning. He was amazed, though not surprised, at how much the battles he fought yesterday took out of him. Still, he knew it was a miracle he got away with as few injuries as he did. Even pushing himself as far as he could, he still hadn't managed to land a single blow on Trey, and there was nothing he could do to stop Trey's attacks. He knew that Trey was holding back and had no idea what the dimensional was truly capable of. He killed those solders with such ease, that Sydney knew that not even his guardian powers would be enough to save him if Trey wanted him dead.

Knowing that sitting on the floor wouldn't do any good, he got to his feet, holding onto the wall to steady himself. He began feeling dizzy, his vision blurry. He closed his eyes for a second, waiting for his head to steady itself, and upon opening them, his vision was back to normal. Tuning his ears to the faint sounds of the hospital, he heard several doctors conversing with nurses and patients. He wanted to do something to help, though knew next to nothing about medicine. From his brief time in scouts, he vaguely remembered a few things, but nothing that would help in a time like this. Even so, he thought he might be able to help move stuff around or do something to free those who knew what they were doing.

He stepped down the hallway, glancing both ways, looking for another Guardian, knowing that just telling a doctor he wanted to help might not go well. Not seeing anyone, he sighed, but walked down the hallway, though was stopped when a patient called out to him.

"You need something ma'am?" he asked uneasily. He saw she was hooked up to several IVs and had several bandages wrapped around her body. Her leg was held in a cast.

"Could you tell me if my son made it here?" Her eyes stared up at him, pleading.

"I don't really know where to start looking," Sydney admitted. He wanted to help, to find her son and reassure her that everything would be all right. "What happened to you two?"

"We couldn't get out of the city during the evacuation, and we had no idea what was going on. We tried hiding in our house when the monsters invaded but they attacked us. We tried running, but we were caught up in the battle. I was knocked out and woke up here, not knowing what happened to us."

Sydney's eyes glanced down, not wanting to look at the despair in this person's eyes. He didn't want to think about the pain she was going through, to be separated from her family. He thought about his own family; his mom must be worried about him, he knew he'd have a lot to explain. When he left with Kensei, he thought it would just be for a short training session, something that he could easily explain away. But now he was caught up in a war with things he didn't even know existed, and no clue when he'd be back home.

"Have you seen him?" she asked, breaking the young Guardian out of his thoughts.

"I wouldn't know him if I saw him."

"Oh, I'm sorry for thinking you would." She took a deep breath.

"If you could describe him, maybe I could look for him." Even if he had no idea how to find a single person out of probably thousands, he still wanted to do what he could.

"His name is Nate. He's twelve years old, about this tall." She held her hand about four feet off the ground. "Blue eyes, short little black hair, and the biggest smile across his face when he laughs," she said with a sense of content, thinking about her boy and this person who would find her son.

"Okay, I'll see if I can find him."

Sydney then left the room, and looked down the vast halls. He had absolutely no idea where to start, heck, he doubted he could even find her room again if by some miracle he did find her son. Still, he thought he might as well see what he could, at least until he could find one of the Guardians who could tell him what to do.

He somehow found his way to an elevator, and saw that he was currently on the third floor, which didn't really give him any information. He figured he'd take it a floor at a time. If he could find Nate, he could take him back to his mom, or at least tell her if he was okay. Her room was 342 if he remembered right. He knew he was crazy to think this would work, but there wasn't anything else he could bare to tell her.

Pressing the fourth button, he felt the elevator slowly go up as he leaned against the wall shaking his head at his own craziness. Before he could contemplate it further, he felt a vibration in his pocket. '_My phone?'_

Taking it out, he saw Cole's name flashing on the screen. He knew it had only been a couple days, but the last time he saw his friends seemed to be years ago. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked casually.

"Oh, not much. Destroyed Greg at Call of Duty last night, Brittney turned me down again, and I don't know, you've disappeared of the face of the earth for the past two days and no one seems to notice or care!"

"Wait, no one cared about me being gone?" He figured he could get away with disappearing for a few hours, but he was sure by now his mom would have sent out a search party.

"Yeah, at school yesterday, everyone just acted like you being gone was normal. Greg and I were the only ones who cared. Heck, your mom came in the house right after you left, and just yelled at us for leaving the door open, but didn't ask about you."

"That can't be…" Even though the elevator door had opened, he just leaned against the wall, trying to take this in. Had Kensei done something so people would forget him? Even though he knew this would change his life, he still wanted to hold onto his old friends and family. This would be something that he could do when needed, but still go back home, hang out with friends.

"I know; this is freaky." A paused filled the line for a moment before Cole decided to go on. "So…what happened?"

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"After all that's happened, I'd believe anything, even Greg getting a date."

"Well, has the news said anything about the attack on London?" Sydney wondered if he was perhaps giving away some classified information. Then again, Cole could keep a secret. He hoped…

"Why would I watch something as boring as the news?"

"Google it or something then."

"Fine fine."

Sydney could hear Cole doing something with a computer, hammering the way on the keys, and cursing at the computer for it being so slow. Sydney thought about telling him he needed to be more careful about the sites he went on, but knew now was not the time.

"Whoa, this is freaky."

"You find it?"

"No, Alex sent me some pictures from her party last week. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't go. Apparently Jeremy now has a tattoo."

"Focus Cole!"

"Sorry, looking it up now…"

Sydney rolled his eyes and semi-patiently waited for Cole to get around to looking up the right information. "Okay, found it."

"What does it say?"

"Looks like the military ordered a massive evacuation."

"I guess, Kensei must have somehow warned them," Sydney mused to himself. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but looking back, there weren't any civilians around during the battle. He remembered that lady mentioning the evacuation. "Was there anything about the battle?" he asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Cole said, while Sydney thought he heard Cole clicking on various things.

"Maybe they evacuated the media too," Sydney said, though it seemed strange that there wouldn't be some kind of people staying behind to get information, and with the internet, the rest of the world would soon know about it.

"So, what happened there?"

"Well, after going with Kensei and a couple other people like him, we learned about some kind of supernatural attack on London, so we went to stop it. I hardly understand it myself, but I saw things that seemed straight out of a fantasy novel. There were people with black wings, those who could control fire and someone who could teleport around and pull swords out of thin air."

"Sounds cool."

"It would be if they weren't trying to kill me." Sydney could tell that Cole didn't mean it like that, he was probably even more confused them him. He couldn't blame him, a battle against evil angels breaking out in the real world sounded fun. Being in those battles wasn't so much.

"Oh, are you okay?"

"Got my butt kicked by one of the bad guys."

"What happened?"

"Well you saw how I used those light blasts when fighting Kensei?

"Yeah."

"Well, I got some new powers too, which I thought would make me unbeatable. This guy Trey though, he stopped all my attacks and sent me through several buildings. He probably would have killed me if he didn't leave after that."

"Damn, you must be hurting pretty bad then."

"I've been worse. Apparently my powers protected me too."

"That's good. So I guess you're gonna get stronger and be some big superhero now?"

"Maybe something like that. Man, this is all so strange." Hearing noises in the distance caused Sydney to walk out of the elevator.

"Well, go be a big hero then, just take care of yourself so you can come back and tell us all about your fun times."

"Heh, don't worry, I will. I better go now though."

"See ya."

Sydney hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He started walking down the hallway. He had no idea where he was going, no idea of what he was doing, but he knew he had to do something. Look for Nate, or help the doctors, or meet up with the Guardians, or just something. He was a hero after all. Maybe not the best one, but even the weakest heroes did what they could.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, and then only giving you a filler chapter, but as I wrote this, I wanted to show some of Sydney's reactions and a little bit of my side characters before heading back into the adventure. I hope the next update will be faster, but I'm not promising anything.

Thanks to WaldoJeffers for betaing


	18. 18: Every Sunrise Starts with a Night

**A/N: This update is part of my celebration for being on the site for 5 years! That's right; on April 30 5 years ago I made this account, so today I have decided to update all of my stories that are in progress. This does not mean that more updates will be coming soon if ever though.**

**It's time for UCBH, part of my massive fantasy series that I stopped writing about a year ago. Is it back for good now, or just a glimmer of hope for me that will soon fade? I honestly don't know. Still, with a world and story this big, with probably hundreds if not thousands of hours put into this story, from daydreaming to writing to making each chapter as good as I could, it seems a shame to stop now. I let this story grow too big I fear, but that doesn't mean I can't still fix it. No promises though...**

**Thanks to Wyntirsno for betaing**

**Chapter 18: Every Sunrise starts with the Night**

It's funny how time passes.

One day you live every moment, enjoy every breath, embrace every word with a friend. Even though the day may be hard, the challenges great, and the enemies insurmountable, it doesn't matter. It's these very challenges that push you harder, that let you see what life truly is.

And then there are those days where you just want it to pass. Where you let the world go on without you. Where the tragedy becomes too much.

For Sydney, today was such a day.

One he tried to wipe from his memory.

He couldn't even remember how it happened, there was talking to Cole, helping Sarah and Max with some of the wounded and learning the importance of double checking blood types. Sure, it was hard, and he was still in pain from the battle, but he saw how they were able to turn back the destruction, and that while those who lost their lives would not be coming back, there was still hope for many.

Then he was called to meet with the other Guardians, some generals were there too, and they were talking about what they'd do from here. Though he didn't remember any of it, only the news about Kensei.

How his body was found among the streets of London.

How the strongest person he had ever met was killed.

And Sydney knew that it was his fault; he should have stayed near his teacher. That even though he wasn't that strong yet, that maybe he could have made a difference.

Why was it that every time death seemed to take people away just when he was growing close to them?

First it was Noah, a person he hated with all his being for so long. But then he saw the wounded heart that lied beneath his rash exterior. A person beaten to become stronger, where only perfection was good enough. He thought of his own mom, one who only asked that he did his best, and that even when he didn't do as well as he wanted to, she had nothing but love for him. This was his life, all he knew, and he only assumed that the rest of the world was the same way.

And then, when he saw the truth about Noah, he wanted to make things right. But he was only moments too late.

Though now Kensei was the one to fall from Sydney's failures. Sydney wondered if there was any way he could have done something different, gotten stronger, not gotten his butt kicked by Trey and maybe stopped whoever it was that killed Kensei.

His bodied shivered as once more the tears fell.

Was this any time to cry though? When there were people still dying in the city, when wounded filled the hospital. This wasn't the time.

Though as logic demanded he take action, his heart continued dwelling in the pain, wanting to have nothing to do with this cruel war.

Night had begun to fall, and Sydney thought of the Nightwings that had come, how there were so many, how even with the other Guardians beside him, they were barely able to live. And of what little he remembered from the meeting after learning about Kensei's death, he knew that the Guardians sent some of the Ancients who had aided them in the battle into the Nightwing realm to close the portal that they had opened. If they failed, then things would be getting even worse.

Sydney held his hand up against the window, focusing on his light, letting a glimmer of it rest in his hand. It seemed strange, how the light could be so bright even against the darkness of night. Maybe that meant there was some kind of hope still against this. Soon Sydney fell asleep, hoping that when he woke up, this day would be nothing but a memory.

…

After waking up and slightly confused about where he was, he knew that he was in a middle of a war still, and while the day seemed calm, he knew he was just a matter of time until he found himself in another battle. He made his way through the hospital, noting at how orderly the military had made everything. After asking a few of the doctors, he found Max and Sarah sitting in the cafeteria, making the best of the mediocre food.

"You doing better today, man?" Max asked as Sydney took a seat beside him.

"As good as can be expected, I guess."

"Death really hits hard, doesn't it?" Sarah asked.

"I'm guessing this isn't something new for you?"

"Our parents were both part of a militant organization on our world. We were born into it," Sarah explained, and Sydney could tell she was thinking about the many comrades they would have had to see fall.

"It was for the good of the world, that death of a few would bring salvation to many," Max said, him too thinking back to that time long ago. "I remember; it was one of my first missions with Lord Botta, it was supposed to be a simple mission, keep the Chosen one out of their grasp. I wanted to go, to prove myself, knowing that this was what I had been training for. I'll never forget having to leave Dad behind, knowing that there was no way for him to survive."

"Before becoming Guardians, we saw the world restored though, but sadly many of our friends did not make it that far," Sarah added, and Sydney thought of his own mortality. He knew Trey could have killed him, but he hadn't thought what it would be like to actually die. Would it be painful? And what happened when he took his last breath? And then what?

"What do we do now?" Sydney asked, not wanting to dwell on the past that filled him with so much sorrow.

"Without Kensei, we'll need to get stronger if we want to be able to fight Hakalahs and the other Nightwings. James said something about asking the other Guardians for help, but it will probably take a while for them to get here."

"Wait, there are other Guardians?" Sydney asked, though he knew it was foolish to think that he knew all of them.

"Yeah, the different groups are led by their elders, Kensei in our case, but there are dozens of different groups. They rarely interact though, except for the elders or in extreme circumstances," Max said.

"If the Nightwings fully break out of their world, I'd say that's an extreme circumstance, so hopefully we'll get help sooner rather than later."

"Have you guys ever met the other groups?" Sydney asked.

"Toshino and Ken came from another group to meet with Kensei and James about something a while back, but I don't know what it was about."

"We didn't even get to talk to them; they left as soon as they came."

"I guess not even the Guardians know everything then," Sydney said, it seeming strange how for so long they seemed to be so wise, so all knowing, and maybe Kensei was, but maybe the others were as lost as he was in all this. True, they had more experience and knowledge, but there seemed to be so much that he didn't see, and an uncertainty that plagued them all.

"Nope, especially not Max here," Sarah said with a smile even as she had an apple hit her in the face.

"You want to come training with us? I'm sure you could use the practice," Max said, gathering the trash from his breakfast and getting up from the table.

"It's better than doing nothing I guess."

…

The courtyard was no longer filled with guests of the sick, so it made a perfect place for the Guardians to practice without fear of others getting in the way. Though they knew they couldn't unleash the full might of their destructive powers, but even so, just sparing would keep them ready should danger find them, and would help Sydney get some more experience fighting where it wasn't a life or death situation.

Max and Sarah called upon their powers, the red and blue armor encasing them respectively. From his back, Max drew his twin rapiers, fire instantly dancing upon them. "Call upon your armor too," Max ordered and Sydney did. It felt strange that he was calling upon this power at a time when he wasn't in danger; he didn't have the adrenaline of a coming battle to fuel him. This time he could take in the calmness of the light, the comfort and protection it brought him as he felt his body wrapped by the cool white force.

Pulling his own sword out, he barely had time to react as Max ran at him, raising his blade. Sydney tried blocking it, but the force was too great, their swords clashed and Sydney's fell to the ground.

"Swords are made for offense, not for defense," Max said as Sydney scrambled to pick up his blade. "They are made to slice, and trying to use it as a defense puts a great strain on it, possibly breaking it, or at the least, making it hard to hold on to."

Sydney grabbed his blade, letting Max's words sink in. That made sense, despite all the TV shows and movies where one would block with swords, what he felt told him that this wasn't the case.

"In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that your blade is infused with light, doing that would have probably caused it to shatter."

"Then how do I defend?" Sydney asked, brushing the dirt off his blade and taking a battling stance again. He was so new with fighting with the weapon, that even as the light guided him, he knew how inexperience he was, and how that could cost him greatly in battle.

"You must learn to use your armor and light to protect yourself. Let your sword focus on offense, cutting down your foe when you've found an opening, or channeling your light through it to break through their defense."

"You guys have fun, I'm going to go have fun by shooting arrows inches from some military guys' heads," Sarah said, never too interested in swordsmanship. Sure, she knew how to wield a blade should she need to, but for her sitting back, letting her arrows and ice handle combat came much more naturally to her.

"That can't end well," Sydney said while Max shrugged his shoulders, deciding now was not the time to worry about things like that.

"You want to try that again."

"Sure."

Sydney held his blade out, seeing that Max had taken the same stance, one blade held back and one forward. If he had to guess, it would be a double strike, the first to drill a hole through his defenses, and the second would try to exploit that hole.

Sydney held his own sword out, knowing that if he could put Max on the defense he could win. Max held a sword in both hands, which would mean he'd limit his defensive options. It made him dangerous, but at the same time it was his weakness.

Max ran at him again, and Sydney called upon the light in him, fired a beam of it at Max, who cut through it with his front blade, but that meant both of his swords were on his left side, and before Max could adjust it, Sydney ran at him. However, Sydney being right handed meant that he'd be attacking where both Max's swords were and he was sure his opponent would be able to counter. Still, if what Max said was right, Sydney might be able to get through his defenses.

However, with a smile and speed faster than Sydney could follow, Max readjusted his weapons, and sliced across Sydney's chest with enough force to send him flying onto his back.

Sydney didn't even notice he was on the ground for a few seconds, the world still spinning with the dirt next to his face.

"Nice trick," Max said, holding his hand out for Sydney. "That's what I was talking about."

Sydney got back up, tried brushing the dirt off his armor, his head hurting a bit from that one. It seemed like no matter what he tried, whatever opponent there was just was able to overpower him. "Then why did it end up with me on my back, and in pain?"

"Because you couldn't use an attack strong enough to truly throw me off balance here, and I've learned to readjust quickly to incoming attacks."

"Is there a way to beat you then?" Sydney asked, wondering if just everyone was much stronger than him. It seemed like all he did was stay back or get his butt kicked.

"That armor, it must be them!" a voice called out.

Sydney and Max looked up to the roof and saw about half a dozen people standing around it, various ages, mostly guys but there was also a girl there.

"What are you doing up there?"

"Oh, we know that you're the ones who destroyed our homes, with your magic powers and stuff. They said that we should run, but we ain't letting some folks destroy our lives without a fight."

"What are you talking about?" Max asked.

"Just that we need you to die."

The one who appeared to be their leader jumped down from the roof, and landed unharmed despite the fact that he fell over 5 stories. "You think you're so special." At that, the man's hand filled with fire. "But He told us about that you weren't the only ones with a gift."

The man shot a fireball at Max, thought it harmlessly collided into his armor. The others on the roof also jumped down, revealing that they too were fire elementals.

"What's going on here?" Sydney asked, readying his blade though not wanting to use it on those who seemed so lost and confused.

"The Nightwings or Hakalahs must have gotten to them." The strangers began firing at the Guardians the heat of the flames filling the air. However, as Sydney prepared to face the attack, the fire harmlessly collided into his armor as well. Max ran into the group, a white flame sprouting from his sword. It went out the brightest flame Sydney had ever seen, and while some of them ran or tried to deflect it, it consumed them just the same, and all of them fell to the ground unconscious.

Despite the shock at such an attack, Sydney walked over to them, wondering if Max had killed them. Looking down, he saw that they were still breathing and appeared to be unharmed from the attack.

"They'll be unconscious for a while, but we need to make sure they step up security around here," Max said.

Sydney agreed and followed his friend through the halls of the hospital he had finally started to learn his way around. He knew more than ever that things were going to get worse before they got better.


End file.
